Dents in Her Armor
by StarvingLunatic
Summary: Mai Otome story. Natsuki is having thoughts on changing her life, leading to Shizuru feeling things that she never felt before, like worry over their relationship and jealousy. Will their love survive?
1. Don't wake me up I'm dreaming

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

The rating for this is bound to go up in later chapters.

1: Don't wake me up; I'm dreaming

Natsuki appeared as if she was having a wonderful sleep. She was knocked out on her dark blue pillow with her mouth hanging open and a thin line of drool streaming from the corner of her mouth. Her hair was pooled around her like an inky halo and she almost looked like she had just been dropped in bed from the way that she was comfortably twisted to the side. She was so cute! 

"I wonder if she's dreaming of me while looking so cute," Shizuru said in her mind, a small smile playing on her lips as she gazed down at her lover. She was propped up on one hand to appreciate Natsuki's sleeping form.

Okay, to be fair, Shizuru always thought that Natsuki was cute. No matter what she was doing, Shizuru swore it was utterly adorable. She also made it a point to say that whenever she could and it really did not matter if people were around or not, even though Natsuki, being the tough girl, could not stand hearing that anything she did was adorable, not in private and damn sure not in public. Shizuru did such things because, of course, she thought that Natsuki was cute when she was being indignant. She also thought that most of the time Natsuki was only trying to keep up appearances when she got upset over being told that she was cute.

"My precious little Natsuki," Shizuru commented to herself with a small, sly smile.

Well, it was time for her to wake her precious little Natsuki up; that was Shizuru's favorite part of the morning…well, the early morning anyway. Ah, who was she kidding? Shizuru just had fun whenever she could, especially since Natsuki came into her life. 

The crimson-eyed Otome leaned over and placed a gentle, but wet kiss to Natsuki's bare shoulder. Natsuki made a small noise in her sleep, but nothing more than that. Shizuru smiled at the noise and proceeded on with her morning ritual.

Moist lips continued to meet with milky, sweet skin, showering the shoulder in tender love and desire. A few more noises escaped the dozing woman, but she did not wake up. Shizuru smiled to herself, knowing that it would take a lot to get her beloved up; she enjoyed it, of course. She moved on from the shoulder, kissing her way down Natsuki's side. She had to push a white sleeveless tee-shirt out of her way.

Try as she might, Shizuru could not talk her Natsuki into sleeping nude, which was why she had to make her way passed the shirt. The shirt was soft, but nowhere near as downy feeling as the skin that it was keeping her from. She pushed the shirt all the way up, wishing that she could just take it off of her sleeping angel, but she figured that Natsuki would take care of that when she finally woke up.

Shizuru's hands found other ways to occupy their time once they were done with moving the tee-shirt. She eased herself down to Natsuki's side and went back to kissing delicious flesh. She loved the taste of her dear Natsuki. She was not sure how she would describe it, but the taste was subtle, creamy, and she could not get enough of it.

A light pink tongue rushed out of its home to get a sample, running up and down Natsuki's ribs. Natsuki moaned and raised her arm, giving Shizuru better access to her body, but she did remain asleep. Shizuru smiled to herself again, loving the expected reaction.

"That's a good girl, Natsuki-chan," Shizuru purred in a whisper.

The awake female decided to reward her lover for making such a good move. Her hand, which was occupied by a plump mound of Natsuki's flesh, began to gently knead the globe in her grip. Natsuki shifted a bit by the unexpected touch; hard to believe it was unexpected considering it happened almost every morning. Her arm did come back down, wrapping around Shizuru.

The tan-haired woman smiled even more than she was doing already when the limb found its way around her shoulders, pressing her closer to her beloved. She then went back to kissing, licking, and just loved the feel of Natsuki's wonderful, muscular body. Her hand continued on playing with the principal's chest, now going back and forth between her breasts; rather perfect breasts if anyone bothered to ask Shizuru.

Natsuki moaned loudly and the sound surprised Shizuru. She added some pressure with her working hand and was rewarded with another moan, but that was not what should be coming out of her love. By now, her name should be coming out of Natsuki's mouth, and Natsuki's other arm should have wrapped around her. She kept her actions up, but those things did not happen.

Shizuru paused for a moment, her eyebrows bending in as a look of sheer contemplation washed over her face. She went back to her task with more vigor, now nipping at Natsuki's delightful ribs, causing the sleeping woman to squirm more. She moved over from the ribs to Natsuki's flat stomach. She ran her tongue along Natsuki's tummy as if she were feasting on an ice cream cone. But, still no name from Natsuki's lips and no strong arms embracing her.

Shizuru would have pouted if Natsuki had been awake, but instead, she just decided to take things a bit further, determined to get the usual reactions out of her girlfriend. She slowly moved down the delicious belly, planning to go to an even sweeter spot. Before going there with her mouth, she went there with her unoccupied hand. Her fingers wasted no time in getting busy.

"Ah…" Natsuki moaned and shuddered. "Shizuru…" she breathed out and then whined a little. She remained sleeping, her eyes closed tightly now. She moved into the older woman's hand. "Shizuru…" she repeated, gritting her teeth now.

And now the pleased smile crept onto Shizuru's face. She turned her scarlet gaze upward, waiting to see her beloved's eyes flutter open. She was not disappointed as emerald eyes slowly opened after a little yawn from Natsuki. 

"So cute!" Shizuru screamed in her mind. So cute, and best yet, all hers. "Good morning, my Natsuki-chan," she hummed aloud. She smiled as she used the term of endearment, expecting to see a slight blush, which would come from the fact that Natsuki hated to be called "chan" even in private.

"Morning," Natsuki grumbled; she did not sound too happy. Now, she was generally not a morning person, but she never sounded grumpy about her wake up call. In fact, typically the wake up call from Shizuru was the only way to make sure that Natsuki did not get up in a funk.

Shizuru wasted no time in dropping into an exaggerated pout. "Natsuki makes it sound like she's not pleased to see me."

"It's not that!" Natsuki said in her typical panicked tone whenever she thought that she upset Shizuru. She shot up and wrapped her arms around her taller girlfriend. She was just too easy to get to, her lover thought. 

"Then what is it if Natsuki is happy to see me?" Shizuru asked, still moping as if her feelings were hurt. She did accept the hug and put an arm around Natsuki in return.

"It's just…I was having a good dream," Natsuki admitted in a low, almost ashamed tone while looking away.

Shizuru's expression changed from her false-pout to one of confusion. Why did Natsuki look away when making that confession? She was going to have to find out; she might be able to use it to tease Natsuki later on.

"Ara ara, is Natsuki dreaming of other women?" Shizuru asked, pout back in place. She also made it a point to look like she was about to burst into tears.

Natsuki made a shocked, near-gagging noise, showing her panic that Shizuru would even ask such a thing. She also tensed up as her eyes widened, seeming like they might fall out of her skull. Shizuru had to use quite a bit of self-control to keep from laughing. From Natsuki's quite predictable reaction, Shizuru knew what was coming next.

"I-idiot!" the raven-haired woman stammered.

"So then, what was Natsuki dreaming about?" Shizuru asked, genuinely curious now. Her pout vanished just as easily as it came about, but her eyebrows now curled up from wondering what was going through her lover's mind.

Natsuki relaxed while a new, distant look appeared in her eyes. She glanced away again and Shizuru was not sure what to make of the behavior. In all her time of knowing Natsuki, she had never witnessed such an expression. She wondered what it could mean.

"I should go take a shower," Natsuki said after a few silent seconds and she was about to rise out of bed when her lover reacted. Shizuru wrapped her arms tightly around Natsuki to stop her.

"Is Natsuki going to leave me unfulfilled this morning?" Shizuru asked, putting on an act of being utterly hurt by the idea. She looked as if she was going to burst into tears again.

"I've got work to get to," Natsuki pointed out as she continued on getting out of bed, untangling herself from her girlfriend. 

Shizuru found herself speechless for a moment as she realized that Natsuki was actually going to take a shower without working up a sweat first. Her brain could not even fathom what was going on because it was so out of the norm. It just did not make sense for her to sitting there naked in bed and for Natsuki to be walking _away_ from her.

Only when the bathroom door shut did Shizuru's brain start up again and she then realized that she was sitting there, alone and naked. She got up from her space on the bed and went to the bathroom, thinking that she would get to her unfinished business in the bathroom. She was in for quite the surprise.

"Um…Shizuru, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a shower by myself this morning," Natsuki said as the door opened.

Shizuru's brain shut down once again. Since when did her Natsuki not want her in the shower with her? Shizuru's face fell into a pout; the brown-haired Otome was pretty sure that it was her usual fake-pout that she used when looking to get her way. She regained her composure after that.

"But, who will wash Natsuki's back?" Shizuru asked in a teasing tone. She wagged a reprimanding finger at her love.

"I think I'll manage," Natsuki replied while turning her attention to the shower. 

Shizuru put her hands together and rested them against her cheek while pouting even deeper than before. "Ara, ara, Natsuki's being such a meanie today."

Natsuki sighed as if she was exhausted, but she did turn back to her girlfriend. "I just want to take a shower by myself for once. It's not that big a deal," she pointed out, shrugging while she spoke to back up her words.

Shizuru was stunned by the response, taking a step back because of it. Natsuki actually walked over and shut the door back while her lover was shocked into silence. She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands when she was alone in the bathroom again.

"I had that dream again…" Natsuki muttered while shaking her head. 

She kept having the same dream lately and it was starting to wear on her nerves. She hoped that she could wash it away with a hot shower, although she doubted it. After all, she could not forget about it even with Shizuru giving her the usual wake up call. The dream was getting out of control.

"It's a stupid dream anyway," Natsuki grumbled as she started the water for her shower.

* * *

Shizuru was not sure what to make of being shut out of the bathroom. She knew that she did not like it; that was for damn sure. She went back to the bed and wrapped herself in the dark blue sheet while wondering if she had done anything wrong. 

She mentally retraced every move that she made since yesterday to figure out why Natsuki would want to shower on her own. Nothing came to mind; yesterday was a normal day for her. It seemed like it was a normal day anyway; she had even gotten to have her Natsuki before going to sleep as always. So, she did not see why she did not get to have her Natsuki in the morning as always.

"Is Natsuki just in a bad mood?" Shizuru wondered. That was entirely possible.

Usually Shizuru did not feel the affects of Natsuki having a bad mood. It was mostly due to the fact that she would ignore the mood and kiss Natsuki right out of it; hey, her methods might have been direct, but they worked over ninety-nine percent of the time. Right now, she could not do that if Natsuki was not going to let her in, literally. She supposed that she was just going to have to get to it later on.

* * *

Natsuki was set up in her office with a ton of paperwork in front of her. She expected it, but she was not paying the work much mind. She was focusing her attention out of the window, and her dream was on her mind again.

"Shouldn't Natsuki be working?" Shizuru asked, breaking Natsuki right out of her reverie. 

The principal spun around in her seat to see her girlfriend standing before her, pouring tea as she did everyday. Natsuki made a panicked face, as if she was a naughty child that was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Shizuru could not help smiling at that.

"Ara ara, was Natsuki thinking bad things?" Shizuru asked, smile still on her lips.

Natsuki sweat-dropped. "Course not! Why would you even ask that?" she countered while trying her best not to look away. She knew if she looked away then Shizuru would go on teasing her about "thinking bad things."

"Because Natsuki is being so secretive. Was Natsuki thinking bad things?" Shizuru asked again, now speaking in a curious purr. She made her way around the desk to her lover's chair.

"N-no," Natsuki denied the charge. She puffed out her cheeks as if she was insulted by the very idea that she might ever have an impure thought.

"No? Then maybe Natsuki is just feeling guilty for leaving her only love so unsatisfied this morning," Shizuru commented, leaning down a bit as if she was preparing to kiss Natsuki. She made sure to stop about an inch from her lover's mouth.

"That's not it either!" Poor Natsuki, she walked right into the trick. 

"Oh, then Natsuki doesn't care that she left me feeling so unloved and unwanted?" Of course, Shizuru's false-pout was now on her face and she looked about ready to burst into tears yet again.

That was followed by the expected panic from the principal. "What? No! That's not what I meant!" She flailed her hands wildly, looking like a flustered bird while hoping she had not been completely misunderstood.

"No? Then perhaps Natsuki means to make it up to me now to let me know that I am loved and appreciated," Shizuru proposed with a slight smile on her face as she intended to close the short distance between her and Natsuki.

"Not here! Someone could come in!" the principal pointed out as she moved away. Someone, of course actually meant Miss Maria. Oh, that was always awkward, no matter how many times it happened.

"But, Natsuki already denied me. If she continues to deny me, I'll think she loves someone else," Shizuru sorrowfully cooed.

"Stop acting like an idiot," Natsuki grumbled while turning away, scrunching her mouth up indignantly. She figured that if she did not see Shizuru's pathetic expression, then she would not give in as she normally did. She ended up looking back out of the window, which caused her to remember her dream. She sighed nostalgically as longing flooded her jade eyes.

Shizuru's own eyes turned curious as her eyebrows curled up. What was her precious Natsuki thinking about? She reached out and gently took Natsuki by the chin. She turned her raven-haired lover to look at her.

"What is on my Natsuki's mind?" Shizuru asked in a hushed, thoughtful tone.

"Nothing. I've got a lot of work to do," Natsuki replied. She glanced over at the pile of papers littering her desk to show that she was saying the truth, or at least half of it. After all, _something_ was on her mind and Shizuru was certain that the something was not work.

"Yes, Natsuki does have a lot of work to do. She should especially be trying to make her girlfriend feel wanted, remember?" Shizuru remarked, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

Natsuki's eyes went slightly wide, as if she had no intention of going through with that suggestion. She was just not in the mood and she tried spinning her chair around to face her desk. She was planning to start in on her work, but Shizuru was not allowing her to face her desk just yet.

"Is Natsuki really planning to just leave me feeling so unwanted?" The pout was back on the Graceful Amethyst's face.

"It's not that. I just…have work…and _someone_ might come in," Natsuki said again. She was still trying to turn her chair. 

Shizuru let Natsuki do as she wished, fooling the principal into thinking that she was off the hook. Instead though, as she settled at her desk, Shizuru did the same. She propped herself up on Natsuki's large desk and whipped her legs over Natsuki's head. She wrapped her legs around the principal and pulled Natsuki close to her.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki complained in a shocked voice as she was yanked toward the older Otome.

"Hmm?" Shizuru hummed as she leaned closer to her lover.

"I've got work to do," Natsuki insisted, making sure to look upset with the fact that her love was playing around. She was not so much upset as she was annoyed that Shizuru would not just leave her be.

"Indeed you do." Shizuru leaned in and finally captured the kiss that she had desired all morning…or so she thought she captured it. Natsuki actually did not kiss her back. She pulled away and looked a bit worried, ruby eyes narrowing and searching emerald ones before her. "Are you all right, Natsuki?" she asked with concern.

Natsuki rubbed the side of her head while looking down. She looked like a kid that got caught doing the wrong thing again. It was not atypical of her to look that way and usually Shizuru thought it was adorable. Right now, though, it only made Shizuru's face scrunch up in concern.

"I'm fine. I just let all this work pile up and there's been all these meetings lately. Plus, there's all of the new admits and it's all just crazy," Natsuki explained in a low voice, running a hand through her ebony locks.

"Is my Natsuki feeling stressed then? Would she like me to kiss it and make it all better?" Shizuru asked quite earnestly, even though she sounded like she was taunting as always. She would take any excuse she could get to kiss Natsuki, after all.

Natsuki did not respond for a second. "I wish you wouldn't tease me about it," she admitted in a grumble, her mouth turned up into a mean pout.

But, it was so fun and so easy, Shizuru commented in her head. She did not say it out loud because she could see that Natsuki was a bit troubled. She glanced over at the paperwork, seeing that the principal did have a task ahead of her. To make matters worse, Natsuki was not the most hard-working person on the planet. 

"Maybe Natsuki should get to work. I can play with her later," Shizuru commented in a light tone. Despite the feathery tone, she did intend to get her time in with her love, no matter what.

"Don't make it sound like I'm some kind of toy," Natsuki complained with a huff. Her eyebrows bent downward in anger.

Shizuru smiled a bit and decided to go find something else to occupy her time for a while. She figured that she would come back later and do as she said; namely, "play" with Natsuki. She could not imagine going a day without intimately touching her love in someway.

Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief when Shizuru was finally out of her office. She turned her chair to face out of her window again. She looked out into the world and let her dream disturb her thoughts once more.

Despite her nervous behavior, Natsuki was not having abnormal dreams by any stretch of the imagination. It was just that the dreams filled her with deep longing and her stomach fell out of her body whenever she remembered the images her mind showed her. All the dream involved was her riding a motorcycle to nowhere in particular through all sorts of winding roads with beautiful scenery accompanying her along the way. The dream in her head had planted a dream in her heart, though.

Natsuki's heart now longed for her bike. It was parked not too far from her office and collecting dust as far as concerned parties though. The motorcycle always cried out for her attention. But, lately, thanks to the dream, the cries had been getting louder and it was bordering on being absolutely unbearable. Natsuki wanted to just get on her bike and ride. She did not know where or how long, but she just wanted to do something that was in her heart rather than what someone else told her to do. Odd, she supposed, for an Otome.

Even before she became an Otome, Natsuki was told what to do with her life. She was told by her father that she was going to become an Otome, first of all. He planned on her serving their kingdom, being her brother's Otome when he ascended the throne of the little territory that her father reigned over. Imagine his surprise when she ended up becoming one of the five Columns, which was only something else she did not have much of a say in. Things did not end there.

The job of principal had been pushed on her, which she could not understand. Natsuki had no problem with leading when action was involved, but she was not one for actual work, which there was plenty of. Miss Maria's scornful gaze and constant scolding shaped Natsuki into the principal that she was now, along with needed help from Shizuru. Still, she was being told what to do with her life.

Really, by her current thinking, the only thing that she had ever got a chance to find out that she loved in life without having to accept that it was part of her life whether she liked it or not was riding her motorcycle. Her big brothers had taught her; she had five of them and they had always liked to include her in things, even though she was the youngest and a girl. She loved riding her bike and never got the chance to do it anymore because something always came up.

She wondered what it would be like to actually go through with what happened in her dream. What would life be like if no one told her what to do? If there was not always a pile of work waiting? If she did not have attend meeting after meeting and seemingly get nowhere? Would she be happier? She liked to think that she would be.

Why did she not tell Shizuru of her dream or her thoughts? It had nothing to do with wanting Shizuru out of her life or anything like that. 

It was quite simple as to why she had not spoke to Shizuru about her dreams. She thought that Shizuru would make fun of her. She could hear the giggles already. She imagined Shizuru saying something like "Ara ara, what a silly child my Natsuki is." She did not want to go through that because she was seriously considering that she would be happier just riding her bike through out the countryside than what she was doing now.

"Maybe it is silly…" Natsuki thought with a sigh. Her heart did not agree, beating rapidly and asking her bike to forgive her insensitive words.

* * *

Next time: Shizuru wonders what's wrong with Natsuki. When she finally finds out what's wrong, she and Natsuki end up having a little tiff. 


	2. Shock and awe

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

2: Shock and awe

The principal of Garderobe was sitting at her large desk with several papers in front of her. She was resting her elbows against cool desk top and she had a pen in one hand while she was resting her chin in the other. She actually looked like she was concentrating on the work in front of her because of the intense expression on her face. She might have actually gotten rare praise from Miss Maria if the older Otome came in at that moment because of the scene in the office.

Natsuki tried to focus on her work while she was alone, but she really could not do that. She was still thinking about her dream and she was also thinking about her bike since the dream was on her mind. She considered that maybe she should talk to someone about it, if only to help her figure out what she should do. But, the only person that she would ever think to tell her dream to was Shizuru, and she knew for a fact that Shizuru would just make fun of her.

"That's all she ever does, after all," Natsuki grumbled to herself, frowning while rubbing her forehead.

The principal sighed and hit her head against her desk, which did not help matters in any way. She lifted her head again and rubbed her now-sore forehead once more. There was a red mark that could have easily acted as a target if someone was around; all she needed right now was for Shizuru to come in at that moment and she would never hear the end of it. Shizuru would talk about that red mark from then on and forever, she was certain of that much.

She rubbed her forehead for a few seconds, trying to ease away the slight pain in her skull. The agony vanished long before the scarlet bruise on her pale forehead. She seemed to think that since the pain was gone, everything was fine, so she dropped her hand back down to her desk.

"Okay, let's just do work and forget about everything else," Natsuki told herself and she picked up a couple sheets of paper that was crowding her desk.

She read a couple of lines on the first sheet before her mind drifted right back to where it did not need to be: her motorcycle. She wondered exactly when was the last time that she had ridden the thing. She could not remember the last time, which only bothered her more.

She brought her hand back to her forehead and massaged her head as if that would help her recall the last time she so much as mounted her bike. Nothing came to mind, though. She remembered back to when she was younger, before she even heard of an Otome, she knew about riding her motorcycle. Now and ever since she had been an Otome, she missed out on doing the one hobby that she had.

"I pretty much never get the chance to ride it now," she grumbled with a frown, complaining to the air. "My old bike from when I was kid was broken in pretty good from all the attention it got, but not this one."

As for the motorcycle that she had now, the one that she was mumbling about never riding, one of her brothers had been nice enough to ship it to her from their home. It was not exactly new because she used it before she came to Garderobe, but she was quite delighted when it arrived. She never would have had the time to go out and buy her own bike. She remembered when it arrived she had actually squealed with joy…with Shizuru standing right next to her. Oh, _that_ was a big mistake; she never lived it down. In fact, Shizuru still randomly brought it up at the strangest times.

"And she'll just make fun of me even more if I tell her how much I've been thinking about my bike," Natsuki muttered to herself, casting her eyes down at her desk. "I can see her now. 'Ara, is Natsuki going to make that delightful sound again? The one that she never makes for me when I ask?' And then she'll do that damned pout. I don't wanna go through that." She sighed.

The more that she thought about it, the more depressed Natsuki became. Her emerald eyes remained glued to her desk while her shoulders seemed to drop more and more with each passing second. She looked like a woman defeated and a battle had not even begun.

What was the world coming to when she could not tell Shizuru something? Well, actually, she often felt like that because she knew that teasing would surely follow, but she often worked through it. Right now, though, she could not work through it for some reason.

"Maybe because this seems stupider than any other crisis I've ever had in my life. I mean, it's just stupid dreams about riding a bike," she muttered, still grumbling as she spoke.

It was stupid, she mentally insisted. She was a grown woman with responsibilities… a lot of responsibilities. She needed to act like the adult she was and focus on the things that she needed to take care of, she told herself.

"But, I really would like to ride my bike, long and far," Natsuki admitted to herself with a dreamy look clouding her emerald eyes over.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought of the wind going through her hair as she straddled the machine and went wherever the road took her. She would not have to worry about paperwork or discipline problems or the council breathing down her neck for whatever reason. She would be free to do whatever she wanted. It was such a tempting dream. It certainly did not sound stupid when she thought of it in such terms.

* * *

Shizuru walked around the school, smiling brightly at anyone that she might pass and ignoring the horde of girls trailing behind her. Well…pretending to ignore them anyway. She was going to string them along for a moment and then acknowledge them when they were not expecting it. She knew that their reactions would be well worth the wait. Yes, it tickled her to see people fawning over her, even though she did not understand why they did it and she certainly would not lament if it stopped that afternoon.

For the moment, she did want to devote a little time thinking about her precious Natsuki. She wondered what was bothering the principal. She wanted to just chalk up the odd behavior to work-related stress, but she had seen Natsuki stressed from work. What happened earlier was not one of the usual things that came from being stressed out. She was not sure what to make of Natsuki's behavior that morning.

Shizuru put her hand to her chin as she tried to think of exactly what she would categorize Natsuki's behavior as. The only term coming to mind was "weird." Natsuki was just plain weird earlier. She was practically distant.

The Graceful Amethyst could not recall Natsuki ever being distant with her. Sure, Natsuki could be gruff, rude, closed-off even, and give the cold shoulder with enough pushing, but never distant, especially not when it came to Shizuru. What was going on that Natsuki was keeping from her?

"It's making Natsuki so grouchy too," Shizuru commented to herself, amusing herself slightly by thinking of her lover as a grumpy bear. Other than that, she really did not think that Natsuki's behavior was funny.

Natsuki was beyond grouchy in Shizuru's opinion. Hell, even a grouchy Natsuki would make love to her in the morning; it would just be cranky sex, which was interesting in and of itself. She certainly would have taken that if she could have gotten it.

But, that morning, she barely got a look from Natsuki. Her pouting did not even gain her any of the usual guilt/sympathy. Sure, it got a little panicking out of Natsuki, but it really was not hard for her to panic the principal. She wanted to be physically loved by Natsuki that morning, not to see her lover panic.

Natsuki had barely reacted to the attention she had given the principal in her typical wakeup call, too. It was almost wounding that her lover had such delayed reactions to her touches that morning. What was on Natsuki's mind to cause her such distraction? No answers were coming to mind.

"Natsuki always reacts…except that one time," Shizuru muttered to herself with a hint of a frown marring her elegant features. Her fan-girls behind her would have been shocked to see the expression; after all, everyone knew that the Bewitching Smiling Amethyst did not frown.

There was a very brief period in their relationship where Natsuki did not react to Shizuru's touch. It was after the war died down and Natsuki wanted to know exactly what happened between her and Tomoe. She told, of course, but she told a rather censored version; she secretly dubbed it the "radio edit" version of what happened.

While Natsuki could be dense, depending on the subject matter, Shizuru had a feeling that Natsuki knew she had not been told the whole truth. Shizuru did have a history of telling the truth that suited her, but never with Natsuki. Well, never recently with Natsuki anyway, but she had done before she really knew Natsuki, which seemed so long ago she hoped that Natsuki forgot that side of her.

"Is that 'incident' still bothering Natsuki? But, why would it suddenly come up now after so long?" Shizuru wondered. It just did not make sense for Natsuki to be bothered by the thing with Tomoe, especially considering the fact that they had not seen or heard from her in a while now. She figured that it had to be something else. Besides, after she explained herself, Natsuki seemed back to her old self, so it seemed like she did believe the things that Shizuru told her.

She was no closer to figuring out what was wrong with her Natsuki now than she had been when she was in the office with Natsuki. She sighed softly and then decided that she was just going to have to pry it out of Natsuki later on. That certainly sounded like a fun idea. And with that in mind, Shizuru turned around to pay some mind to the poor Corals that were dying for her to just look in their direction.

The students did stop dead in their tracks as Shizuru looked at them. A few of them were close to fainting when she approached them. And then she started talking to them; it was the highlight of their day. Shizuru could not help smiling, even as a couple of them did faint just from the sound of her voice and the fact that her words were directed toward them.

* * *

Natsuki sighed for what felt like the millionth time in the last…she was not sure how long she had been sitting there sighing actually. She was distracted from her sighing when she heard the door open. Shizuru came in with their usual tea.

"Is it time already?" Natsuki muttered to herself, her eyebrows knitting together because of her confusion.

"Ara, did Natsuki fall asleep and forget?" Shizuru asked with a small smile on her face as she wasted no time in pouring the raven-haired Otome her favorite tea.

"No," Natsuki answered in an almost defensive nature. If she had fallen asleep, it would not have been the first time and she actually would not have been insulted if caught by Shizuru. It was only an affront of her when she had not fallen asleep at her desk; hey, sometimes she could be quirky.

"No? Then why does Natsuki seem so disoriented?" Shizuru inquired curiously, a smile still tugging at her lips. She could not help that her lover looked adorable when she was being indignant about things.

"I'm not disoriented. I was just thinking is all," the principal replied in a gruff tone, turning her mouth up because she was offended.

"Oh? What were you think about?" the tan-haired woman asked as she parked herself against Natsuki's desk. It was the perfect height for her to sit on…or do other things on, but she did not want to think about that while Natsuki was in a funk. She did not think that she would be able to do those "other things" until she could make Natsuki feel better. Besides, she was supposed to be getting to the bottom of things, not thinking naughty thoughts.

Natsuki sipped her tea to avoid answering that question. She still had not figured out if she was going to tell Shizuru about her dreams. She was not ready for the taunting that she knew was going to come. After all, she already knew that it was a ridiculous dream; she really did not need anyone pointing it out.

Shizuru pouted when no response came her way. "Is Natsuki ignoring me? Did I do something wrong?"

That got Natsuki's attention. "What? No! Don't say stupid things like that," she objected. She did not want Shizuru to think that her bad mood was because of something that the older woman did because she hated to put Shizuru in a depressed state. She did not want Shizuru blaming herself for something that was not her fault also.

"No, I think I did something wrong. After all, I'm in the principal's office. Perhaps Natsuki will give me detention," Shizuru remarked as she pushed off of her space on the desk. She sauntered behind the desk to stand before Natsuki. Well, so much for not thinking naughty thoughts, but then again, maybe it would help her get the information that she wanted.

"Stop playing around," the emerald-eyed Otome ordered while turning away from her lover.

"Oh, so Natsuki is ignoring me. I wish she would tell me what I did to be sent to the principal's office," Shizuru said with her pout in full swing. She put a thoughtful, slender finger to her cheek as if she was pondering what she did wrong.

"I'm not ignoring you," Natsuki replied through gritted teeth. Her eyebrow twitched as she tried her best not to face her love, knowing that whatever expression was on Shizuru's face would be her undoing.

"Oh? That is good news. So, will Natsuki finally tell me what's on her mind?" Shizuru asked curiously while moving, so the principal had to look at her.

Natsuki stared at the crimson-eyed female for a moment and then looked away. Shizuru's forehead wrinkled for a moment as her eyebrows knitted together. What was wrong with Natsuki?

"Na-tsu-ki," Shizuru said in a gentle tone as she cupped Natsuki's face with her hands. She forced the younger woman to look at her and she smiled a tender smile at the principal.

Natsuki grimaced, feeling her resolve crumbling quite rapidly just from the loving tone that Shizuru was using. Couple the tone with the fond look in those dark ruby eyes and affectionate touch and Natsuki's whole being was ready to collapse. And then Shizuru pretty much sank Natsuki's battleship with her next move; she leaned in and gave up just about the most gentle, loving kiss on the lips. It was not long, only a couple of seconds, but greatly romantic and full of concern.

"What's wrong with my Natsuki?" Shizuru asked in a whisper, her mouth remaining close to her love's lips.

"It's nothing important," Natsuki answered in a whisper of her own. She knew that her voice was influenced by her girlfriend's tone.

"It's very important. It's making my precious Natsuki act so strangely. You're being…distant with me. Is it because of something I did?" Shizuru asked quite sincerely. Her eyes glistened, seemingly almost sorrowful.

"No!" Natsuki answered vehemently and she wrapped her arms around the older Otome, giving her a tight embrace around the waist.

The raven-haired principal sighed. Maybe she should just tell what was going through her mind if it was so obvious that something was bothering her; curse the fact that she wore her emotions on her sleeve, she screamed in her head. She did not want to worry Shizuru over something that was not a big deal…at least, she kept trying to tell herself that it was not a big deal.

Besides, Shizuru seemed like she would be understanding of things now. She was concerned about Natsuki, so the principal thought that Shizuru might not tease her. It was possible that Shizuru would take her seriously and offer her a solution to the problem.

"Um…you really wanna know what's wrong?" Natsuki asked curiously.

"Of course I want to know what's wrong with my Natsuki. What troubles her so much that she didn't want me to touch her in the morning?" Shizuru wondered a loud.

"It's not that I didn't want you to touch me, okay? I was just…thinking about something," Natsuki vaguely explained.

"And what was Natsuki thinking about?"

Natsuki took a deep breath, but she did not explain herself readily. Instead, she pulled her lover down into her lap, which got a small smile out of Shizuru. Shizuru liked that despite the fact that she was taller than Natsuki, the raven-haired female had no problem supporting her weight and often allowed Shizuru to sit on her.

"I keep having this weird dream. It's not really weird, but it is. I mean, it's just me on my bike, riding. I don't know where I am or where I'm going, but I'm on my bike and just loving it," Natsuki informed her love.

Shizuru's face twisted slightly into confusion. "Natsuki is acting like the world is going to come to an end just because she's dreaming about her bike?" she asked in a puzzled tone. She had been worrying about Natsuki and there she was just having dreams about her bike?! Well, at least it was not something serious, she thought with a sigh of relief.

"It's not the dream that's making me act this way. It's just the dream keeps making me think about stuff."

"Stuff? What sort of 'stuff' are you thinking about?" Shizuru asked in a soft tone.

"Well, about life. My life," Natsuki admitted. She was feeling a bit better since no teasing had come her way. She smiled, believing that she would be able to make it through the whole thing and Shizuru would probably help.

"What about your life is my Natsuki thinking so hard on?" The brown-haired woman was seriously curious. What was distracting her dearest love so much that Natsuki did not even want to be touched by her?

"Well, I was just starting to wonder if this is what I really want."

"This?" Shizuru echoed, baffled by what her lover was talking about.

"I mean, all my life I've been told what I'm gonna do. 'Oh, you're gonna be an Otome, you're gonna be a Column, you're gonna be principal.' All of these things were just pushed on me and I never got a chance to figure out if these are the things that I want," Natsuki continued on.

"And so?"

"Well, I've really just been thinking about how the only thing in my life that I've ever had a chance to pick for myself is riding my bike. I love my bike and I've been dying to ride it. I never have time to, though, because of everything that's going on in my life. I keep thinking about riding my bike," Natsuki confessed.

There was a moment of silence between them, which was broken by Shizuru. Unfortunately, she broke things in a way that burnt Natsuki up. Shizuru started giggling her usual light-hearted chuckle.

"Ara, isn't Natsuki a little young to be having a midlife crisis?" Shizuru remarked with a teasing smile. Her eyes shined from her laughter at Natsuki's expensive.

Natsuki huffed and threw herself into the back of her chair while folding her arms across her chest. Despite the movement, Shizuru remained in her lap. She did accidentally push Shizuru a little bit when she folded her arms across her chest. The younger woman scowled deeply.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you. Everything's just a big joke to you!" the principal barked in a fury.

Shizuru was slightly taken aback by her love's tone. "Natsuki is being serious?"

"Of course I'm being serious! What did you think, I said all that just to make you laugh? I'm sick of doing everything everybody wants me to! I want some time to myself. I want to be able to do what I wanna do. I wanna go ride my bike for however long I want to! I want to wake up and not have to worry about paperwork or the council or what student is destroying what!" Natsuki huffed with a look of anger mixed with desperation.

Shizuru was quiet for a short moment, looking a bit thoughtful. A smile returned to her face as she cupped Natsuki's face once more with her hands. She caressed Natsuki's cheek with her thumb.

"Natsuki is just stressed from work recently—" she started to say, but her lover cut in before she could finish.

"It's not stress! I'm sick of this job! I'm sick of this life!" Natsuki declared while standing up. Shizuru caught her own balance while Natsuki turned to walk a few feet away.

"Ara, so Natsuki would rather be a carefree child?" Shizuru inquired, keeping her usual tone, which meant that she was still teasing, even though she could tell that her girlfriend was genuinely upset. She did not know what else to do because underneath it all, she did not like hearing that Natsuki was sick of her life.

"I'd rather be able to do what I want for once in my life!" Natsuki replied while throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. "I never asked to be an Otome! I never asked to be a Column! I never asked for this stupid-ass job! Everything in my life has been forced on me since I was fourteen years old! And even before that, my parents used to always tell me 'oh you're gonna do this when you get older' or 'you're gonna be this when you get big and so you have to act this way and you can't do that' and all this other stupid crap! God, if I didn't have my brothers, I'd have gone out of my mind years ago!" she screamed while whipping around to face Shizuru.

Shizuru remained calm and composed, even though she could feel something shattering inside of her. Natsuki was sick of her life? Did that mean that Natsuki was sick of her too? It sounded that way to her, which made her heart clench in her chest as if it was being constricted by a python.

"Natsuki is just stressed," Shizuru insisted, managing to force out her normal tone of voice. After all, Natsuki could not seriously mean those words.

"Damn right, I'm stressed! I'm stressed for all of this crap and I don't want to do it anymore! And you're just trying to make it sound like I'm nothing more than a spoiled brat!" Natsuki replied, throwing her arms out to the side and stomping her foot.

"Natsuki is screaming right now much like a brat," Shizuru pointed out coolly, folding her arms over her stomach.

That seemed to be the final straw for Natsuki. She frowned and ground her teeth together for a moment. She made tights fists; her nails eating into her palms from the pressure.

"You don't understand and I knew I shouldn't have said anything to you. All you do is tease me over everything!" Natsuki spat with venom.

Before Shizuru could say anything back to that, Natsuki made her exit, stomping out of her own office. The principal made sure to slam her door extra-hard on the way out, shaking the walls. Shizuru was in a state of shock and her wide red eyes showed that.

"It's just stress," Shizuru tried to assure herself. It had to be stress. Natsuki would go out and ride her bike undoubtedly. She would then come back and everything would be fine, Shizuru promised herself.

* * *

Next time: Natsuki finally gets to ride her bike. Do she and Shizuru kiss and make up? Or will Natsuki go through with her dream?


	3. I want to get away

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

I meant to say this earlier, but I kept forgetting. I got help with the concept of this story from Laura25 and I want to thank her for all of the help. Without her, this story probably would have never gotten past the planning stage. So, thanks, Laura25.

3: I want to get away

Natsuki missed an entire day of work out riding her bike after having an argument with Shizuru. She found that she was totally relaxed when she was on the bike and going nowhere in particular, just like in her dream. She just enjoyed cutting through the air, the wind ripping past her, and way only she and her bike seemed to exist in a world going by at a super-speed. She wondered if that was what she really did want.

"Do I want to just go through the rest of my life riding my bike? Maybe it is just the stress because now the idea seems so silly to me. I mean, I'd be a bum just out riding my bike all day with nowhere to go," Natsuki commented to herself, chuckling a bit to herself at the ridiculousness of doing nothing but riding her bike forever. She knew it was a silly thing.

She understood that she could not be a bum for entire life. She doubted that she would be happy trying such a thing. She did have some sense of responsibility. Besides, she would never be able to face her family again if she ever decided to leave it all behind in favor of riding her bike forever. Yes, she liked her bike, but not more than her family, so she was going to need to be able see them again.

See, she could come to mature decisions on her own. She was not a brat, like Shizuru had said, and she did not need Shizuru to hold her hand to get her through things. She was quite capable of handling things on her own, she boasted mentally. She smiled to herself too.

"What does Shizuru know anyway?" Natsuki asked herself as she cut around a corner on her bike, going at top speed despite the danger.

Shizuru did not know everything anyway. Shizuru barely lived in the real world, Natsuki thought. But, she stopped herself from thinking any negative thoughts about Shizuru. She was just happy to be on her bike and she felt like she proved Shizuru wrong. She was not a brat and that was the main point. She came to a decision all her own without any help, teasing not needed, and no laughing at her expense. Not thinking about Shizuru did not last with Natsuki, though.

The sun started to creep under the horizon and Natsuki decided that she felt infinitely better now than she had earlier. The ride calmed her down and the scenery was making her feel at peace. She stopped and she thought about her afternoon with Shizuru again now, thinking that she might have said something stupid to her lover.

As far as her memory was concerned, Natsuki did not think that she said anything stupid. She thought that the argument was Shizuru's fault for laughing at her and for teasing her, just like she knew the older Otome would do. Now, she spoiled her mood and scowled while pushing the bike to go faster.

"Can't tell her anything. Life's just one big game to Shizuru. Hell, even when we're supposed to take things seriously, she's joking around and having fun at the worst times. Like with…Tomoe," she said the name with venom in her own head.

The thought of that girl made Natsuki frown even deeper. She tried her best to put Tomoe out of her head, knowing that the girl meant nothing to Shizuru. That did not erase the fact that Shizuru had more than likely done…things…with Tomoe.

Shizuru was supposed to be hers. No one was supposed to touch Shizuru. Sure, the older woman flirted and teased…a lot on both accounts, but Shizuru was still exclusively with her until Tomoe came along. It was not so much that Shizuru might have cheated on her, but that someone else might have touched, might have _had_ her Shizuru. Natsuki had to shake her head extra hard to stop thinking about that.

"It doesn't matter. It's in the past. Shizuru is still mine," Natsuki reminded herself. Not that she felt exceptionally blessed to have Shizuru at the moment. She decided to just keep riding and hopefully stop thinking. The sun continued to set and she continued to ride, soon the darkness was her company as was a lovely, watching white full moon. The bright moon washed over her, seeming to cleanse her of her troubled thoughts.

* * *

It was almost midnight when Shizuru heard the front door open. Her heart jumped in her chest; she had feared that Natsuki would not be coming in that night after how long she had been gone. She wanted to jump out of bed and go make sure Natsuki was all right, but she held off on doing that because she wanted to give her lover some space. She had of course been worried about things, for a few reasons, but she would wait before addressing those things.

First and foremost, Shizuru worried about Natsuki's safety. She knew that it was preposterous of her to worry about Natsuki's safety considering the fact that Natsuki was one of the most powerful Otomes, but still, love was not rational, so she could not force herself to not be worried about her lover. So, now, she felt some relief in knowing that Natsuki was home. She would have to see her to be sure that the raven-haired woman was completely fine.

Second, Shizuru was nervous that their little argument might have actually hurt their relationship. It was very rare for them to fight and those were always wrapped up within the hour of the argument. Natsuki had never run off for the whole day before, so she did not know what to make of that and it made her anxious. She did not want to lose her dearest love, after all.

She silently prayed that the time away allowed Natsuki to get herself together. She honestly hoped that she would not be hearing anymore talk of Natsuki being sick of her life. That talk was what made her really nervous because if Natsuki was still sick of her life then it was possible that Natsuki was sick of her. She was not sure what she would do without Natsuki as her girlfriend anymore; she did not even want to imagine it. It was overwhelming to think about.

"I suppose I should apologize for teasing her and that should help," Shizuru said to herself as she listened to Natsuki moving around the apartment outside of the bedroom. An apology would be a good step toward keeping her beloved and making sure everything went back to normal, she figured.

The fair-haired woman grew more apprehensive as she listened to the noise outside of the room, which never seemed to get close to the area. Her pulse accelerated with every second that went by and Natsuki did not join her in their bed. Her throat went dry a few times and swallowing did not seem to cure it.

It took all of the Graceful Amethyst's self-control to not run out of the room. She just wanted to hold Natsuki and assure herself that everything was all right. She tightly clutched the dark blue blanket on the bed, hoping that it would ease her anxiety and she would be able to just sit there until Natsuki came in.

As time ticked by, Shizuru's grip became tighter; her knuckles were white, but the darkness covered that from her view. She wondered why it was taking Natsuki so long to enter their bedroom. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, but did not cover the noises that Natsuki was making outside of the room.

"What if she sleeps in the sofa?" Shizuru wondered quietly. She was not sure what she would do if Natsuki slept on the couch and she really would not know what to make of that behavior. It would only worry her more that their relationship might be coming to an end. How horrible!

Shizuru's heart sped up and she had to put her hand to her chest, hoping to bring herself some comfort. She silently tried to assure herself that Natsuki would not leave her over one little fight. Okay, yes, she laughed and teased Natsuki over it, but she laughed and teased Natsuki all the time. It was not something new; it was not something to end what they had. Right? Right?!

"I'm sure if I apologize everything will be fine," Shizuru muttered to the still night air. All she had to do was apologize…not that she ever apologized in her life. Now was a good time to start, though, her mind pointed out, especially considering how bothered she was by everything.

Shizuru could not believe the feeling that was eating away at her. It was totally new to her, but she supposed that she could understand it since it was about Natsuki. Natsuki always brought out new, sometimes unwanted feelings inside of her. The worst part was that only Natsuki could set the emotions right, so no matter how many pep talks Shizuru had with herself right now, she was not going to feel better until she knew things were fine with Natsuki.

Shizuru was taken from her thoughts as the bedroom door eased open. She watched Natsuki fumble around in the dark. She would have giggled over it any other day, but not at the moment. She noticed that Natsuki was holding something in her hand; it looked like a jar and she hated to think what the jar held.

"Damn it," Natsuki muttered as she almost tripped over a pair of her own boots. She could see why Shizuru always scolded her about picking up after herself, not that she would admit that out loud.

"Is Natsuki all right?" Shizuru inquired in a normal voice, which caused Natsuki to jump because she had not been expecting the sound.

"You're up? I didn't wake you up, did I?" Natsuki asked curiously, a slightly concerned look on her face. Hard to believe a few hours ago, she had been so pissed off at her lover considering the expression that she was wearing right now.

"No, not really," Shizuru answered honestly. She had been up all night because she could not sleep, but she could not sleep because Natsuki was missing.

Natsuki made a neutral noise and she walked over to the bed. She sat down on her side while Shizuru sat up. Shizuru was about to latch onto Natsuki's back, but held off until she was certain that everything was all right between them. She did not want to upset her lover even more, after all.

"So, what're you still doing up?" Natsuki asked curiously while eating a spoon full of whatever was in the jar. Shizuru knew it was mayonnaise, smelling it quite well now that it was so close, and she would have admonished Natsuki about it if the situation was different.

"I was waiting for Natsuki to come in, of course. It's quite late, after all," Shizuru pointed out in her typical collected tone.

"Oh, right." Natsuki sounded thoughtful. "Guess I lost track of time."

"Did Natsuki have fun riding her bike?" the crimson-eyed Otome asked curiously. Her heart beat heavier while waiting for the answer.

"Of course."

Shizuru's heart felt like it might collapse in on itself. She had to swallow hard, hoping to ease the tight feeling in her throat because of that response. "So, is Natsuki going to leave everything behind and ride her bike for the rest of her life?"

Natsuki made a curious noise for a second, as if she had no idea where that question came from. "Oh, no. I figured that would be stupid. I mean, where would I sleep and stuff?" she remarked with a light laugh.

Shizuru breathed a loud sigh of relief. She put her hand to her chest as her heart finally relaxed. She finally moved closer enough to Natsuki to rest her chin on the principal's shoulder. She smiled to herself when Natsuki did not move away.

"Well, if Natsuki were to take me with her, I would have gladly acted as Natsuki's mattress," Shizuru remarked honestly, purring a bit as she spoke.

"I'll bet you would have," the younger warrior countered with a half-smile of her own.

"So, was it actually stress that made Natsuki think like this or was it something that Natsuki just had to explore to find out that it was not for her?"

Natsuki shrugged. She was not sure what it was. "Maybe I just needed a change of pace for a second or something."

Shizuru nodded for a moment. "Maybe the change should have been to not eat so much mayonnaise," the older woman commented as she reached out to relieve Natsuki of the jar that she was eating spoonfuls of straight mayonnaise out of.

"Hey!" Natsuki complained while reaching for her snack.

"You know this isn't good for you. Besides, I don't like it when Natsuki tastes like that stuff," Shizuru said.

"What does it matter—?"

Natsuki's question was swallowed up by a kiss from Shizuru. The emerald-eyed female automatically returned the show of affection and that eased any remaining nervousness eating away at Shizuru. She would feel even better if Natsuki noticed her current state of undress and did something about it.

"You know, I'm still mad at you," Natsuki admitted in a dazed whisper as Shizuru pulled away for air.

"Really?" Shizuru asked in a skeptical tone. Her lover did not sound mad or look mad, after all.

"Yeah. You did call me a brat and everything," the principal pointed out in a low tone.

"Natsuki was acting like a brat, though. In fact, I should get to spank Natsuki for her behavior earlier."

"I'd like to see you try," Natsuki muttered and then she realized that she was going to regret those words later on. She decided to try to cover that up and put Shizuru on the spot instead. "All you do is tease me," she complained.

"Ara, but Natsuki loves the attention," the older woman said with a smile.

"No, I don't. Who would love to be teased?" Natsuki commented with a confused look on her face.

"Natsuki does," Shizuru said and to cease any objections, she leaned in for another kiss.

The emerald-eyed principal returned the sweet embrace and everything seemed to be back to normal for them. Shizuru was glad for that. She was also glad for the fact that Natsuki eventually noticed that she was sitting there naked. She got her nightly dose of Natsuki-loving, so yes, everything seemed to be totally fine between them now.

----(Next day)

Natsuki yawned from behind her desk. She was tired and it was not because she was kept up thanks to that dream. She had not even had that dream last night. She just had not gotten much sleep, but the sleep she did get had regular dreams that did not involve her bike.

She rubbed her eyes and slapped her cheeks once as an attempt to stay awake. Her little getaway yesterday put her behind in her paperwork. She needed to catch up, but she knew that she would not be able to do that if she nodded off at her desk.

"I need some fresh air," Natsuki muttered while glancing out of the large windows in her office.

The principal yawned again, throwing her arms up to stretch. She rolled her shoulders as she climbed to her feet, small cracking noises accompanied her because of how stiff her shoulders were. She focused out of her window and saw that it was a nice-looking day; the sun was out, shining brightly, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Yes, it was a good day to get fresh air.

Natsuki went to her door and eased it open, making sure to be quiet as she did so. She glanced up and down the hall to make sure the coast was clear. She had to make sure that no one was around because if Miss Maria saw her sneaking out, leaving work behind, she would drag Natsuki back to her desk, twisting her ear while she was at it.

"Don't see her," Natsuki noted with a grin. She did not see anyone in fact, which was even better. It would seem that she had picked the perfect time to go outside.

The second Column made a quick getaway, just like she did yesterday. She did stay on school grounds that time around, though. She smiled as she stepped outside, being embraced by the warm spring air. She took a deep breath and the whole atmosphere seemed to caress her with a loving touch.

She started on a casual stroll around the large, beautiful campus, even though she knew that around any corner she was in danger of running to Miss Maria. She just was not in the mood to skulk around the campus when she was trying to relax enough to where she could go back to work and stay awake. Sneaking would not help that, so she was just going to have to run the chance of running to Miss Maria.

She walked across one of the higher sidewalks that looked down into a lower quad area. She noticed a gathering of girls and wondered what the commotion was about. She glanced into the center of the mass and saw exactly what the commotion was about: her girlfriend.

"Shizuru," Natsuki sighed while shaking her head. All Shizuru did was flirt, she thought, sounding quite annoyed in her own head.

She was a little annoyed by Shizuru's nature; it seemed that way, anyway. Sometimes she thought that Shizuru just could not help herself when it came to flirting, and other times, she knew that Shizuru just did it because it got a rise out of her. Flirting was just another form of teasing with the Graceful Amethyst.

"Well, I knew she was like that ever since I met her," Natsuki reminded herself, shrugging a little, trying her best to ease her own annoyance.

The principal had to will herself not to get jealous of all of the girls around her lover, but she could not stick around to watch the scene. She supposed one of the things that bothered her was that she knew that Shizuru liked the attention. She also knew that Shizuru could be caught by her fan-girls; after all, Natsuki used to actually be one. Was there another Natsuki in those hordes of girls?

There was also the other side of the coin. Tomoe had also been one of Shizuru's fan girls. Sometimes, Natsuki wondered if there was another Tomoe in those legions of girls. That thought bothered her more than the first possibility when she allowed that thought to enter her head.

Natsuki did not get a chance to think on that too much anyway. She ran into a curious sight when she came to a small grass clearing on the campus. There was a man dressed in a uniform with dark-brown, spiked hair and a lost expression on his face. There was a sword on his hip and at first Natsuki wondered what the hell he was doing at the school, but at the same time as she noticed the sword, she noticed his reason for being at the school, more than likely.

There was a short teenage girl clutching him around the waist. She looked shy and lost, almost as if she was trying to hide behind him. Her wide yellow eyes darted around the campus; it was hard to judge if she was trying to help find their way or just paranoid. Natsuki could guess what was going on with the pair and decided to approach them.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" the principal called out as she walked over to the duo.

The man turned around to face the voice. He was going to ask for directions until he locked eyes with the raven-haired Otome. It was like his heart ceased beating at the sight of her. He was speechless for a moment and all his mind could think was that he was being approached by an angel. He luckily did not start drooling at the sight of her.

"Can I help you?" Natsuki repeated as she stood face to face with him. She looked a bit friendly, mostly because she was in a good mood.

"Uh…yeah," he admitted with a sheepish grin on his face while the girl at his hip just clutched his shirt tighter.

"With?" Natsuki asked since he seemed to need prompting.

"Oh, I have a new admit here, Kyoko Heinrich," he informed her, patting the girl with him on the head, messing up her short ebony hair somewhat.

"Oh. And you are?" Natsuki asked curiously while glancing down at the girl for a moment. She noted that the girl's surname was somewhat like her own and considered that they might be from the same area, but she did not recognize the man's uniform, so she dismissed that idea.

"I'm Takeda Masashi. Her guardian," he reported and motioned to the sword on his hip to show that he meant more like a bodyguard than anything else. "Might I ask your name, miss?" he requested, sounding a bit nervous while trying his best to sound polite.

"Natsuki Kruger. I'm the principal. I'll show where to go in order for you to make sure she's enrolled properly," Natsuki offered. She had to go back to the administrative building anyway, before she was busted.

"Uh, do you think you could show us around a little first? Kyoko's a little intimidated by the size of the place," Takeda explained with a sheepish expression on his face. He grinned a bit and scratched his cheek with his index finger.

"Well…" Natsuki hesitated, looking away for a moment herself. She was pressing her luck as it was by being out and about when she had work.

"Uh…I understand that you're probably very busy! It's all right!" Takeda quickly retreated from his request. Kyoko looked away while her guardian stammered over his words.

"Well, I was out for a walk anyway," Natsuki muttered. She would not mind an excuse to keep walking around. If Miss Maria found her out, she could easily offer up the excuse that she was showing the new student around. It was perfect! "I can show you guys around, no problem," she declared with a nod.

"Really?" Takeda asked in shock. Kyoko turned her wide golden eyes up to look at Natsuki in disbelief.

"Sure. C'mon," Natsuki said and she motioned for them to follow her.

Takeda smiled down at Kyoko and they walked off behind Natsuki. The walk was silent for a few seconds, but then Natsuki asked when they were from. Takeda answered the question and Natsuki found out that they were from a kingdom not too far from her homeland, as she suspected when learning Kyoko's last name, but Takeda's uniform had thrown her off. Once she heard where they were from, though, her mind recalled the uniform.

The principal had not been home in a few years, so she started asking about the area. Takeda smiled as he provided her with the information that she asked for. Kyoko was still silent for the walk, busy taking in the sights of the sprawling, wonderful campus.

Takeda was eventually confident enough to ask Natsuki questions after answering several of her own. He kept the questions professional, making inquiries about the school. But, they were talking quite a bit after a while.

"Principal," the Absolutely Most Frightening voice in the whole, wide world said from behind Natsuki, causing her to stop in her tracks and gulp.

"Please be my imagination," Natsuki silently prayed as she turned around. Her prayers were not answered as she came face to face with Miss Maria. She smiled nervously at the older woman. "Miss Maria!" she said in false cheerful voice while cringing just a bit.

"Don't you have work that you should be doing?" Miss Maria inquired with a stern look in her equally severe face. Her stance was stiff, as if she was an immoveable object; the slight breeze did not even blow her short, gray hair out of place. Her voice calm, but there was just something underneath it that every student she ever met picked up on. She seemed to glare through the principal, going right for the soul and causing it to quiver.

"I was just going back to it. I was just trying to show our new student around a bit and then I was going to take her right over to the administrative building," Natsuki lied while trying to keep her heart from bursting out of her chest.

"You mean the building that is clear across campus?" Miss Maria asked calmly while folding her arms across the front of her black dress.

Damn it, Natsuki thought; better keep lying. "Uh…yeah."

"And when were planning to go back to all of that work you left on your desk?" the older Otome pressed, her voice remained even and her gaze forever hard on the poor principal.

"Soon. I've only been gone…" Natsuki checked her watch and her eyes nearly fell out of her head as she made a panicked noise. "Three hours?!" she shouted in disbelief while slapping herself in the forehead.

"Oh, and I was only aware of it for two," Miss Maria commented. Natsuki was always good for telling on herself.

"Damn it," Natsuki cursed in her head. She knew better than to swear, even under her breath, with Miss Maria around.

"Back to work, principal. I'll take care of the new student," Miss Maria stated soundly, body language unwavering.

Natsuki nodded, as if she was a scolded toddler, and she was about to leave, but Takeda stopped her for a moment.

"Is it all right for me to come by every now and then to check on Kyoko?" Takeda asked. Sure, he could have easily asked Miss Maria that, but he wanted to speak with the raven-haired Otome for a little longer.

"Yeah, of course," Natsuki answered.

Takeda smiled from that information. He was going to come as soon as he could to check on Kyoko and also hope that he ran into the beautiful principal. He hoped that they would get a chance to talk again as they had been doing for the day. They seemed to get along quite well, after all. He liked her company; of course, it did not hurt that her face was lovely and he thought that she was an angel.

* * *

Next time: Takeda and Natsuki meet again and go out to lunch together. Is something going on?

A/N: I know Takeda's first name is actually Masashi, but I switched it up here because I just like referring to him as Takeda.


	4. Out to lunch

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

4: Out to lunch

"It never ends," Natsuki complained in her head as she went through pile upon pile of paperwork. She looked quite tired and frustrated; there were bags under her eyes, a few strands of hair were out of place, and her mouth was stuck in a frown while her jaw was tight. At the moment, she would have loved nothing more than another excuse to get the hell out of the office.

She glanced down at her desk and wondered how hard she would have to hit her forehead against the polished wood to get a gash or a crack in her skull, or something like that. Oh, if it had a lot of blood, she would have an excuse to leave for the day. Surely Miss Maria would not force her to work through a concussion! It was perfect! ...Yeah, she was definitely tired and bored if that the thought was an indication of the plans going through her mind right now.

Luckily, before Natsuki went through with her "brilliant" idea of self-inflicted injury, her intercom buzzed to distract her. She hoped that she was about to be rescued from paperwork; then again, knowing her luck, she figured that she would be informed that she had a meeting or some other boring piece of administrative hoo-haw that she would rather stab herself in the eye than sit through. She was tempted to not respond and just go through with her plan of banging her head on the desk, but curiosity won and she answered the intercom instead.

"There's a man named Takeda Masashi here to see you," the principal was informed by her receptionist.

Natsuki blinked once in surprise, not expecting to hear that name ever again. "Oh, send him in, please."

The emerald-eyed Otome straightened herself out and tried to straighten her desk out as much as possible before Takeda entered the room. She doubted that it would look good for anyone outside of Shizuru and Miss Maria to know that the all-powerful principal of Garderobe was a slob when left to her own devices. She was able to put some papers in neat stacks before the door opened slowly. The scarred, spiky-haired young man from the other day entered the room.

Natsuki looked up as soon as he stepped in. She was easily able to play off that she had just been shoving papers in random desks less than a second ago; she had a lot of practice with that from her time as a student all the way to now with hiding her messes. She appeared as if everything was normal and she was the usual stoic, proper principal.

Takeda turned his attention to Natsuki and felt a strange feeling over take him as he took in her perfect form, in his opinion anyway. His insides seemed to turn to jelly and sway inside of the soft shell that was his skin. A heat seemed to flare up inside of him, melting the jelly already in there, and making him feel like flames would shoot out of his neck and make his head fly out off of shoulders. His teeth started to knock against each other and he gulped, trying to douse the flames burning inside of him. A blush was close to invading his face, but he was able to push it down before he really embarrassed himself.

Good for him that Natsuki was not the most observant creature on the planet. Sure, she thought that he was acting a little weird, but she did not try to guess why. She was just happy for an excuse to get away from all of the paperwork; one was standing in front of her right now and that was more than good enough for her.

"Forgive me if it was forward of me to come here," Takeda said through chattering teeth, making sure to make eye contact with her. He was forcing himself not to clutch onto his black uniform pants like some kind of frightened child, but he did rub his palms across his legs, preventing his hands from getting sweaty.

"No, it's totally all right," Natsuki assured him, so close to smiling it might have scared some people. It was definitely all right because she was going to be able to get away from the desk that she seemed to be chained to the past few days, trying to catch up on all of her work.

Takeda seemed shocked by that and stood up straighter than he already was. He knew that he should have felt relief at her words, but for some reason that he could not figure out, he just got tenser, especially since he could tell that she was somewhat happy to see him. His heart sped up and seemed to beat harder, almost as if the walls were going to press against each other. His nerves seemed overactive, causing his fingers to keep tapping against his legs when he was not busy brushing his palms against the limbs anyway.

"So, what brings you by?" Natsuki asked curiously. She remained standing by her desk, leaning her hip and hand against the cool surface. She was not sure why she remained where she was, but it was like there was an invisible line preventing her from closing the distance between her and her guest.

"I was at the school to check on Kyoko," he reported, voice still shaky thanks to his teeth chattering as if he was stuck in a blizzard. He was able to keep eye contact, even though he felt almost a need to look away. He was not sure why that was since he was typically a cool and collected warrior who could look anyone, no matter how dangerous or deadly, in the eye without a problem.

Natsuki nodded almost absently. "How's she like our school so far?"

The question seemed to put Takeda at some ease; maybe because it was a solid subject or maybe because Natsuki was showing interest and not kicking him out as he feared she might. He let out a relaxed sigh as his heart finally returned to normal and he was able to remove his hands from his legs. His teeth ceased to hit against each other. His insides continued on feeling as if they were liquefied, though. Well, at least he would be able to act somewhat normal, he figured.

"Oh, she loves it. Her roommates have been very helpful to her. She was telling me that's she's taken to one of the older Otomes, who, she says, all the girls think is the greatest Otome ever. The name escapes me right now," he informed the principal, glancing away for a moment as he tried to recollect the name that his charge had so eagerly been telling him about not even twenty minutes ago. He supposed that he was not paying Kyoko as much attention as he usually would since thoughts of visiting the principal had been on his mind.

Natsuki's mouth twitched a bit and a vein in her neck seemed to jump, but she kept everything under control and remained calm. She had a good idea who that older Otome was. She wondered if Shizuru had thrown a little flirty behavior Kyoko's way like she had done with Arika or if Kyoko just fell into line with all of the other students. She decided not to think too much on it right now since she would not be able to give herself answers.

"That's good," Natsuki said through clinched teeth as her brow furrowed a bit.

Takeda flinched a bit because of her tone and sudden change of expression. He wondered, was she mad at him? He tensed up again, back going straight as a rod and his heart was back to beating as if it was planning to explode. He swallowed hard as his throat tried to close up. A lone bead of sweat raced down his cheek, dripping onto the new cerulean carpet.

"Yeah, I'm glad she likes it here. It seems really nice," he commented, trying his best to sound normal, but he failed miserably. He sounded almost like was he going to throw up; he kind of felt that way too.

"We like to think it is," she remarked, forcing out a smile. She was trying to remind herself that she had an excuse to be away from her work, so she should be happy with that. Shizuru always flirted, especially with the Corals, and probably always would, so it was nothing new, so she ordered herself to calm down about things.

"I'm glad she likes it," he repeated, not sure what else to say. At least he sounded normal that time around. He did glance away for a couple of seconds.

"I'm glad she likes it too," she concurred, also not sure what else to say. She did have an excuse, being somewhat socially handicap after all. There were several moments of silence between them and Natsuki feared that she might have to go back to work in a short amount of time.

"Would you like to go to lunch with me?" he asked out of the blue and in a near shout. He seemed to turn blue as soon as he realized that he said. He mentally scolded his mouth for getting ahead of his brain, even though he had been considering asking her to go to lunch ever since he came into the office. Before that, all of his brain power had been devoted to working up enough courage to make it to her office.

Natsuki looked like a ghost jumped out of the desk and hit her in the stomach with a very solid baseball bat. The color drained from her face and her face twisted into a shocked grimace. She forgot how to breathe and so did he because of all of the time that passed between them since he asked the question.

It took almost a minute for Natsuki's brain to get back into some working order. If she went to lunch, she would be able to go outside and she would be away from her dreaded paperwork for a while. She guessed that she should get in touch with Shizuru since they usually had lunch together. Besides, maybe Shizuru would like to go with them, she considered. That would be nice, she thought.

"Uh…you don't have to go!" Takeda shouted, throwing his hands up to chest-level in a defensive position, his stiff dark blue uniform jacket hitched up somewhat because of the movement. He turned his head, looking away as he continued on. "I don't know what made me ask that anyway! I mean, you're an Otome and everything! Why would you want to go out to lunch with someone like me!"

Natsuki was taken back by his outburst and craned an eyebrow to his frantic behavior. "So, you don't want me to go to lunch with you now?" she asked curiously. Rats, that meant more work!

"No, I'd love for you to go out with me!" he insisted, still looking quite panicked. It was like he did not know what to say and he was horrified at whatever might come out of his mouth. He almost threw his hands over his mouth until he realized that he said the honest thing that he needed to say before she misunderstood him and he talked himself out of a date.

"Okay. I just need to try to find someone to make sure this is all right with her," Natsuki said, keeping her usual cool, but she was still looking at her guest as if something was wrong with him.

"Wait, you'll go out with me?" Takeda asked in disbelief, blinking several times and then he gawked at her. His eyes were wide and his mouth seemed like it might hit the floor. An angel had just agreed to go on a date with him? Maybe he was dreaming, he considered. He did not bother pinching himself, though; it was not like he wanted to wake up if he was dreaming.

"Yeah, just give me a minute to try to find someone," she requested him.

"Um…okay!" He was not about to argue with her if she was going to go with him. "I'll wait outside if you want."

"That's fine."

Takeda practically rushed out of the office. He leaned against the wall as soon as he was out of her presence and sighed as if a million pounds of weight had been lifted off of him. He then grinned and started laughing like a nutcase.

"She said yes! I've got a date with an angel!" he proclaimed mentally with a huge grin plastered on his face.

He was about to jump for joy and pump his fist in the air in triumph, but he noticed the receptionist looking at him. Natsuki's receptionist was a Pearl student…one that Shizuru picked out to work there. She was a serious-minded individual, so it was understandable when she stared at Takeda like he was a total idiot from his behavior. Her lavender eyes seemed to cut through him.

Takeda laughed nervously when he noticed the teenage girl looking at him like he was dumbest creature that she had ever seen. A scowl tugged at her tight, full upper lip. She rolled her pale purple eyes as if she was disgusted by his behavior. Her attention was taken from him as the principal contacted her through the intercom to inquire if she ha seen Shizuru at all.

"I haven't seen her since this morning," the receptionist answered in a very proper and business-like tone, not taking her eyes off of the idiot in her area, namely Takeda.

"Do you know where she is?" Natsuki asked.

The receptionist almost scoffed, but she caught herself. Who the hell knew what Shizuru did in her off time? She could be around the corner or around the world for all the receptionist knew. If anything, she figured that Shizuru's girlfriend, which the world knew Natsuki was, would know where she was.

"I don't know where she is. She should be by soon enough, though," the receptionist pointed out.

While no one knew what Shizuru did when she was off on her own and with no work to do, Shizuru did certain things like clockwork. She came into work with Natsuki and stuck around for at least an hour, but never more than two; Natsuki did need to get some work done every now and then. She then came back at noon to have lunch with Natsuki, once again sticking around for an hour or two. She then came back when Natsuki was getting ready to leave. The only time that she did not follow that schedule was when there was an emergency or a request from Natsuki.

"That's true," Natsuki agreed and disconnected the communication.

Natsuki supposed that she could wait for Shizuru. Now, according to the manners that had been beaten into her head when she first entered Garderobe, she guessed that she needed to check with Takeda and see if he was willing to wait. She frowned, disliking being polite much of the time. Most of the time, if she could get away with it, she was not polite. She saved all of that up for when she had to deal with delegates from other countries, or, of course, if she ran into Miss Maria.

"But, he is rescuing me from work, so I guess I should be nice to him for a little while," Natsuki told herself.

It seemed reasonable enough to her, so the principal got up from her desk and walked out of the office to go talk to Takeda. The brunette young man was standing at the opposite end of the outer office when she stepped out of her main office. He looked like he was trying to put on an impressive front, like he was a powerful warrior; personally, Natsuki thought that he seemed constipated, or something like that.

"You okay?" the emerald-eyed Otome asked curiously as she approached him. She tilted her head a little to the side as if that would help her tell if he was sick or something else like that.

The action of the principal going over to the strange loser (in the receptionist's opinion) raised an eyebrow of the Pearl manning the phones. It took a great deal of self-control for the student not to demand what the hell the principal was doing. It also took just as much self-control to keep her jaw from crashing to the floor as the pair walked off. Her brain got her mouth going before any other part of her body could do anything.

"Headmistress, should I tell Shizuru-onee-sama anything when she comes to have lunch with you?" the receptionist called, keeping a composed tone. She was so close to shouting in a panic at the older Otome because she did not think that the principal should be anywhere near such a odd man, especially by herself and especially if Shizuru was not aware of it.

Natsuki turned around. "I'm going to look for Shizuru right now. If she comes by, tell her I'm trying to find her. I'll come back in a few minutes, so just tell her to stay put," she replied.

The receptionist nodded and then breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad to know that the principal was actually looking for Shizuru and not trying to do something…wrong. After all, it seemed really weird for the principal to go out with a guy when she was supposed to be having lunch with Shizuru, like she did every day; how weird, the receptionist did not even want to consider. She then went back to her work, knowing that the universe was not about to implode on itself; it could be a signal of the end of the world if Natsuki broke her usual schedule with Shizuru to go out with some random guy, after all.

* * *

"You don't mind Shizuru coming along, do you?" Natsuki asked curiously as she and Takeda walked down the hall. She thought that Shizuru might be in the quad since the Pearl students were about to go to lunch too. She expected that the tanned-haired beauty would be out there doing what she always did.

"Uh…no," he lied in a bit of a nervous tone while folding his hands behind his back to avoid twiddling his fingers from anxiety. He could feel his heart beating his throat; it was pounding like a mallet on a drum. He was a bit upset over her wanting to take someone else out with them when it was supposed to be a date; at least it was in his mind. But, his nervousness around her overrode any other feeling that he could have.

The raven-haired Otome nodded. "Good. Okay, so we can just find her and then we can go."

Takeda did not argue and they went off to find Shizuru. The older Otome was not where Natsuki thought she might be, though. Natsuki turned around and went back to her office, hoping that Shizuru was there. But, no luck once again.

"She didn't come by yet?" Natsuki asked her receptionist. The principal looked quite confused by that. Where the hell was Shizuru?

"No, Headmistress, she hasn't," the nearly caramel-skinned teenager replied calmly.

"I wonder where she is," Natsuki muttered more to herself, putting a finger to her chin as if that would help her think.

The principal tried to think of where else her girlfriend might be. She thought of a few places, but they were all on different ends of the campus. She did not think it would be fair of her to drag Takeda all over campus because she could not find Shizuru.

"Well, let's go since who knows where Shizuru is," Natsuki said, motioning to the hall with her hand.

Takeda almost grinned because he was going to lunch alone with the beautiful Natsuki. He felt blessed, like his body was filled with light. He reminded himself not to make a fool of himself with the hope that he could get a second date with the green eyed angel. He maintained control of himself as they left the school grounds together.

* * *

Sihzuru smiled as she approached her Natsuki's office. She was holding a basket; today's lunch was intended to be a picnic since her dear Natsuki was so stressed lately. She thought an outside lunch all alone would help relax her beloved.

"Good afternoon, Shiori-chan," Shizuru practically sang in a delighted tone, which was how she typically sounded when she came to have lunch with Natsuki.

"Good afternoon, Shizuru-onee-sama," the receptionist replied. She was the envy of many classmates because Shizuru knew her by name, picked her to work for the principal, and spoke with her every now and then when they passed each other in the halls. There were some concerns for her safety; after all, Natsuki and Shizuru both knew that there were possibilities of someone's jealousy growing out of control, but Shiori liked to insist that she could handle any and everything that came her way. They seemed to take her word on it, but she knew that things were not always what they seemed with Shizuru or even Natsuki.

"Has my precious Natsuki been behaving? Miss Maria told me that she caught Natsuki a few times trying to escape the office last week," the third Column commented with a small smile. Her crimson eyes seemed to sparkle from her amusement.

The receptionist, Shiori, looked away for a moment, despite knowing it was better to stay still under the sharp eye of the Graceful Smiling Amethyst. That was enough time and movement to pique Shizuru's interest. The tan-haired Otome could not help wondering, what had her Natsuki been doing now? She was being such a bad girl, Shizuru thought; it was not necessarily a bad thing.

"Ara ara, what has my Natsuki done now?" Shizuru asked with pretend exhaustion, going so far as to sigh and slump her shoulders for a moment. She put her hand to her chin as if she was thinking over what the naughty principal might have done now.

"Nothing. She's just not in her office right now," Shiori answered just a bit too quickly. Right now, she was feeling a little conflicted on ratting out the principal to the Otome that got her such a trusted, coveted position. Hey, the principal was pretty popular too, but most students kept that under wraps because they knew that open adoration would only annoy the principal. Shiori definitely liked the principal enough to try to help keep her out of trouble if she could.

A light sandy eyebrow slowly arched elegantly in the air. "She's not in the office? Then where is she?"

Shiori seemed to realize her mistake in answering too rapidly before because her next response sounded a little more normal. "I don't know?" Damn it, it came out as a question not an answer, she immediately realized.

"You don't know? An intelligent girl like you doesn't know where the principal went?" Shizuru asked with a false look of surprise on her face, her blood-colored eyes a little wider than usual and her mouth turned down in a pout.

Shiori felt almost like a spell washed over her as confusion wrecked her brain. It was clear that Shizuru was not going to let the matter drop, not that Shiori expected anything less. She knew what the outcome of the battle would be too.

"Headmistress is on her own," Shiori silently decided; it did not make any sense to fight a losing battle. She took a moment and looked away before she started talking. "The Headmistress went out to lunch," she confessed in a very quiet voice.

"Lunch? Without me?" Shizuru asked the air more than the teen. Her eyebrows curled up, slightly wrinkling her forehead. It was like she did not understand; she could not fathom what she was hearing. Telling her that the sky was green would have made more sense to her.

"Yes. She went to lunch," Shiori repeated, lavender eyes still off to the left.

"Is there more to it than that?" Shizuru inquired in a serious tone because she noticed that the girl was not looking her in the face while speaking.

Shiori's face tensed, her mouth turned downward, and she seemed to develop a twitch in her neck. She wanted to protect the principal and satisfy Shizuru, but it would seem that was not going to be possible with those all seeing burgundy eyes on her. She turned to look Shizuru in the eyes.

"Headmistress went out to lunch with a new friend," Shiori replied in her usual tone, making sure to keep her eyes leveled with the older woman.

"A new friend?" Shizuru echoed, sounding very close to puzzled. Since when did her Natsuki make friends? One of the incredibly cute things about her lover was her stubborn intent on being antisocial.

"I think the friend was the guardian of one of the new students," Shiori offered.

Shizuru nodded, taking note of the words that were being used. "So, Natsuki left with this friend?"

"She was looking for you and she even came back a few minutes ago, hoping you were here. She wanted you to join them," the teen interjected. She figured that might help out the principal and appease Shizuru.

Shizuru nodded again and suddenly smiled her usual bright expression. "I suppose I'll just have to wait for Natsuki to come back then."

Shiori exhaled deeply when Shizuru walked off, seemingly satisfied with the information proved. The teen felt like a pressing weight had been removed from her chest as the older woman left the area. It was like Shizuru's presence alone added pressure to the air and made gravity work with more force than ever.

"I hope the Headmistress doesn't have to deal with that. Although, frankly, better her than me," Shiori commented to herself as her heart finally returned to its normal rhythm.

* * *

"What new friend could my Natsuki have? Why didn't she tell me?" Shizuru wondered, a genuine pout working its way to her face for the first time in a very long time. She would be shocked to know that she could actually pout, without acting anyway, if she knew that she was doing it.

The fair-haired Otome wandered the halls, shoes clicking on the tile and echoing through the empty corridors, with a picnic basket in hand while trying to figure out what friend Natsuki might have made and why she had not been told. She felt a bit better knowing that Natsuki had been looking for her to go out with them, though.

"Maybe Natsuki was going to introduce us today, but I showed up a little later than usual," Shizuru considered, her brow wrinkling again thanks to the thoughts going through her head.

Shizuru silently berated herself for getting caught up in some childish game with a few Coral students, but they had looked so adorable when they were playing. She would have been on time for lunch if she could only pull herself away from the game. She just thought that her Natsuki would be waiting for her as always, ready to whine about all the paperwork that came with her job and about how hungry she was.

"Natsuki would've been much cuter than those Corals. I should've left," Shizuru told herself again. Too late now, but she supposed that Natsuki would tell her about the friend later on.

* * *

Takeda found himself relaxing a bit more at the table that he and Natsuki were seated at. The little diner that they were at was not a fancy place, but Natsuki suggested going there. She knew the area better than he did and he also wanted her to be comfortable. Seeing her at ease put him in the same state.

They were silent for a bit around each other before a question came to mind for him to ask. He wanted to know about the diner and Natsuki offered what she knew, adding in that she used to sneak off campus to the little eatery when she was a student at Garderobe. From then, they started talking about their schooling, hers at Garderobe and his at a special school in his homeland that trained boys to be "complete men," as he put. The conversation was different from what she was used to, mostly because she was accustomed to more formal discussions unless Shizuru was around.

When she talked to Shizuru, she knew that there would be more than a fair amount of teasing involved. Every now and then when she spoke with Nao, teasing was also involved. Hell, even when she spoke with Mai, she knew that taunting would come her way. Takeda did not tease. It was a refreshing change.

"This was great," Natsuki commented as she stretched in her chair, which was not as plushy as it could have been, but she did not mind the lack of cushion. They were finished with lunch, empty plates in front of them.

"Yeah, it was. Hopefully, we can do it again sometime," Takeda replied, trying to remain calm, but some of his hope sneaked into his voice and in his eyes. He was also struggling to keep his eyes focused on her face, but having her stretch right in front of him in her "shirt" was a bit too much for his senses. His mind nearly wandered, but he kept himself in check.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm pretty busy most of the time, though," Natsuki admitted with a sigh, flopping down into her seat. Her shoulders fell a bit as she sighed.

"Well, maybe one day when I come by to check on Kyoko again, we can just go out to lunch again," he proposed, thinking her defeated display was disappointment in not being able to see him again.

"I guess that should work out. How long are you going to be in town?" she asked curiously.

"I'm not sure exactly. My orders are to stay with Kyoko until she's totally settled in, but I've also got other matters to attend to. I'll be around for a while, though."

The Garderobe principal nodded. "That's good." She was having an all right time with him and figured that it would not be such a bad thing to hang around him again.

"So, I'll see you later?"

"Sure." She shrugged.

They went their separate ways after paying for the meal; Takeda insisted on paying and Natsuki, ever the pragmatic one, rarely turned down anything that was free. Those damn manners also had something to do with it; she recalled something about being grateful and appreciative for things or something like that (she never could remember the exact rule about things). Takeda had business to handle and she had work to get back to. She went to her office and as soon as she was inside, she was glomped from behind.

Natsuki made a confused noise as she lurched forward slightly. Her hair fell over her shoulders onto her chest until she straightened herself out. She knew the person behind her was smiling like the Cheshire cat and she was quite right.

"Shi-shizuru!" Natsuki shouted, knowing that her girlfriend was the only person insane enough to ambush her.

"I missed my Natsuki-chan. I was lonely without her," Shizuru commented in a purr against Natsuki's creamy neck.

"Stop playing around," the younger woman huffed, even though she was not making any moved to pry her clingy mate off of her. She would if she heard the word "chan" attached to her name again, though.

"You're a little late. Where was Natsuki all this time?" Shizuru asked, still speaking with that sexy purr, but there was an underlying edge to her tone. It went completely by her sometimes dense girlfriend.

* * *

Next time: Shizuru presses the issue about why Natsuki is late. She just won't give up until she finds out what she wants to know.


	5. The Inquisition

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

5: The Inquisition

Natsuki was currently in her office with her girlfriend practically plastered to her back. Shizuru's arms were wrapped tightly around her, as if to prevent her from running off; if that was the case, it was working well. It was clear that Shizuru was being playful because she was pressing her full weight against Natsuki. Not to mention, there was the light giggling coming from the fair-haired woman and Natsuki could practically feel her lover smiling against her neck.

The principal had just gotten back from lunch, having the meal with someone that was very much not Shizuru. She had had a good time, too; and then when she went into her office, Shizuru pounced on her like a playful kitten, complete with a few delighted purrs. After the expected complaints from Natsuki, Shizuru asked the very loaded question of where her girlfriend had been.

It did not occur to Natsuki that she might be in trouble when the question came up, which was why she did not take it seriously and did not bother to respond to it. Instead, she continued to pretend that she was irked with Shizuru being draped on her like some kind of curtain. She frowned and made a fist, as if she was about bark at her lover, but the older woman spoke again.

"So, is Natsuki going to tell me why she came in late?" Shizuru asked again in a somewhat light tone, stealing a couple of wet kisses from her love's delicious neck.

"Shizuru, cut that out! I don't have time to play with you, and don't leave a mark!" Natsuki barked as she started toward her desk, even though Shizuru was on her like a cape, an iron cape. She seemed quite intent on keeping Natsuki from proceeding forward.

"I asked a question," the crimson-eyed Otome hummed into her beloved's flesh, gently tapping against Natsuki's shoulder with her left index finger.

"I had to walk from in town and that's why I'm late. I didn't want to be all flashy like you and just materialize in the middle of the street," Natsuki answered through gritted teeth, having a tough time moving like she wanted to with Shizuru playing deadweight on her back.

"Meanie. You make it sound like I use my Robe all the time. But, why did you walk from in town?" Shizuru asked curiously, even though she already knew the reason. She placed another kiss to the neck near her mouth for no reason other than the fact that she loved the way Natsuki tasted and she enjoyed showing her Natsuki affection.

"Shizuru, do you think you could get off of me? I want to get to my desk sometime this century," Natsuki remarked, speaking through the side of her mouth to hold back some of the bite in her tone. She tried glancing at her love from the corner of her eye, but she could not see the older woman because Shizuru was directly behind her now.

"Ara ara, Natsuki makes it sound like I'm fat! Does Natsuki think I'm fat?" Shizuru whined, sounding like she was about to cry, but not releasing the principal. She felt her lover tense and heard her let out a sharp "eep." She had to force a smile to stay off of her face; sometimes, Natsuki was just too easy.

"Of course not!" Natsuki shouted so loudly her face turned a bright red. She whipped around to show Shizuru the sincere look in her emerald eyes to get the older woman to believe her. She was greeted by a sight that just made her panic more.

Shizuru's brick-colored eyes misted over and her mouth was turned down into a deep pout. Her bottom lip trembled as tears built in her eyes. Natsuki's face twisted in horror when she saw the expression on her beloved's face. Now, in all of the years that Natsuki had known Shizuru, she was pretty sure that the older woman never cried at all, but that did not enter her mind at the moment. All she knew was her girlfriend was distressed and it was her fault.

"Shizuru, I didn't mean you're fat! Don't cry!" Natsuki pled as she wrapped her arms around her lover in a tight, desperate embrace.

"She really makes it too easy," Shizuru thought to herself while making sure to throw in a few sniffs to really sell her anguish. She did revel internally that she was being hugged by her girlfriend. It amazed her that even after so many years together just being held byNatsuki could liquefy her insides.

"I'm so sorry, Shizuru! I really didn't mean it that way!" Natsuki insisted in an almost forceful tone, her arms now around Shizuru's waist. Her hands were temptingly close to Shizuru's rump, but that did not register to her mind. Things were too serious for her to think about anything dirty. All she did was hold onto Shizuru like if she let the taller woman go, the world would come to an end.

"Natsuki is such a meanie," Shizuru commented through another series of sniffles. Sometimes, she did consider forcing out some tears, but she thought that would be crossing the line. She hated to think how her beloved would act if she actually wept in front of an easily panicked Natsuki.

"I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! Look, you're not fat at all!"

To prove her point, Natsuki picked Shizuru up bridal style. Shizuru was not entirely expecting the move, so she let out a small yelp. She smiled to herself as Natsuki tucked an arm under her thighs and around her shoulders.

"Ara ara, my Natsuki is so strong," Shizuru commented, sounding quite impressed, which made it seem like she was being very sarcastic. "After all, she can so easily pick up someone fat," she added in just for the sake of seeing how her beloved was going to react to it.

"I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!" Natsuki howled to the heavens, making sure even the gods knew that she did not think of her lover as fat. She had to close her eyes to get the desired volume, which was easily a roar. Birds outside scattered, fleeing their comfortable trees, when she spoke.

Shizuru laughed to herself, impressed by the lung strength her girlfriend possessed, although she had heard Natsuki reach that volume on several other occasions. It made for a damn awkward moment when people rushed into their bedroom, ready to help only to find the principal nude and pinned underneath an equally nude and enthusiastic Shizuru. It was because of several incidents like that, that people did not even come to their apartment anymore to help, so they would be in a lot of trouble if they were ever caught in an actual emergency.

"Okay, I believe Natsuki," Shizuru said as she snuggled into Natsuki's chest. She sighed contently, feeling deep comfort just from being near her girlfriend. Natsuki was like medicine for her soul, Shizuru thought.

The younger Otome breathed a sigh of relief, which her lover felt as well as heard. The red hue that invaded Natsuki's face because of her shouting finally went in retreat now that Shizuru was calm. Natsuki kept her hold on her girlfriend as she went to sit down in her cushiony, black chair. Shizuru let a small, peaceful smile creep onto her face, but she did not let the subject at hand go.

"So, Natsuki still hasn't told me why she had to walk here from in town," Shizuru pointed out in a slightly low tone brought on by the comfort that she was currently feeling pressed against her love. It was probably nothing, she told herself, but she could not for the life of her let it go until she knew for sure.

"I went into town to have lunch. I was trying to find you so you come too. We went to that little diner place that we used to sneak out to, remember?" Natsuki replied, glancing down at her girlfriend before turning her attention the papers littering her desk. She pondered for a moment, what had she been working on before? She was distracted a little by her lover's voice.

"The little place near the bridge?" Shizuru asked with a scrunched up expression on her face. Mentally, she insisted that Natsuki would not take a stranger to _that_ diner.

"Yeah, that one! The food was still as good as usual. You would've loved it," Natsuki declared, oblivious to the fact that she just made her girlfriend's heart sink into her feet.

"Natsuki went to our special diner without me?" Shizuru asked, eyebrows curled up in confusion. A pout found its way to her face again, and just like that other time, it was there without her permission.

_Natsuki took another person to our special place_, Shizuru's mind echoed in disbelief. It did not even make sense to her brain at first and she needed a few seconds to collect her thoughts. That was the diner that they used to sneak out to late at night when they were both students. No one else at the school knew about it except for them, and they went there to celebrate things, no matter how insignificant it might seem to other people; like when Shizuru took Natsuki there because she actually made it to all of her classes one week.

"Our special diner? It's ours?" Natsuki asked, her brow furrowing and her eyes going to the face of her beloved. It seemed to be news to her.

Shizuru sighed, remembering that her girlfriend could miss something if it was not ten feet tall and standing right in front of her under the right circumstances. It was usually something that she thought was utterly adorable, but right now, it was not very cute, she silently noted. She glanced away for a moment while trying to will her heart to return to her chest; she did wonder why the organ seemed to abandon its usual resting place to pool down in her feet. She managed to get her heart back where it belonged and turned her eyes back to her beloved; it took almost a minute.

"Shizuru, how come you look like that?" Natsuki asked curious, her eyes glistening with concern.

"I'm just disappointed that Natsuki went to our special diner without me," Shizuru answered honestly with an equal honest sorrowful sigh. She immediately wondered who had given her mouth permission to say that. It was too late to take it back now and, with luck, she would get some satisfaction from saying it.

"But, I didn't know it was our special place! I'm sorry! I'll never do it again!" Natsuki promised vehemently as she leaned down to press herself closer to Shizuru, who she was still cradling. She leaned her forehead against her lover's, finding hers to be warmer than Shizuru's, but she did not contemplate if it had any significance right now. She would say or do just about anything to get that look off of her girlfriend's face.

Shizuru smiled mentally because of Natsuki's panic. So, maybe it was an honest mistake and Natsuki knew not to do it again. But, that did not give Shizuru all of the information that she desired. She wanted to know what happened exactly on the lunch trip that she was left out of.

"Natsuki better not do it again. Taking someone else to our special diner, such poor judgment. Who is this person that was so dear to my Natsuki that she took this person to our special place?" Shizuru asked in her usual teasing tone. It took a little effort to find that voice and bring it back after she spoke in earnest seconds ago.

"He's not dear to me!" Natsuki objected, pulling back some to avoid shouting in Shizuru's face. She would not even call Takeda a friend! He was just some decent company and an excuse to get out of the office. Nothing more than that!

"He?" Shizuru echoed in shock, voice slightly lower. She was able to keep her expression under control and look as cool as usual, but on the inside her brain was screaming. _What the hell?! My Natsuki went to our special place with some man?!_

"He was just some guy that's the guardian of one of the Corals! He's nobody really!" Natsuki insisted, making sure to maintain eye contact. She thought that Shizuru easily got the wrong idea about things; usually, her girl was only pretending, but she had trouble differentiating between acting and real. Even when she knew the difference, just to be on the safe side, she gave in.

Shizuru could not help wondering, _Doth the lady protest too much? _For the first time, Natsuki's natural panicky nature when in Shizuru's presence was not very cute. It was perplexing, causing Shizuru's forehead to wrinkle slightly from thought.

"Is Natsuki now looking for a husband? Perhaps he will let her ride her bike all the time like she wants," Shizuru said, teasing. She had to mentally insist that she was teasing and nothing more.

Natsuki bristled at the thought and shivered almost as if she was freezing. "Idiot! I don't want a husband!" she declared with a frown.

Shizuru relaxed from that response and smiled a bit. Her mischievous nature felt safe in coming out to play, even though she still wanted more information about the lunch she missed out on. Her ruby eyes sparkled for a moment, but went unnoticed by her overexcited lover.

"But, isn't Natsuki sick of being headmaster of Garderobe? Isn't Natsuki tired of being an Otome? If Natsuki got a husband, she wouldn't have to be an Otome anymore," Shizuru pointed out, counting off on her fingers as she spoke in a very innocent tone.

"Idiot! I never said I was tired of being an Otome! And I don't want a husband!" Natsuki declared with her head turned up from indignation.

"I'm sure Natsuki does. After all, Natsuki wanted to leave the school and me before, didn't she say that?"

Natsuki turned sharply to face Shizuru to response to that. "I never said that! I certainly don't want to leave you!" she replied, her face getting red again because of all of the yelling.

Shizuru had to fight away a grin at that proclamation. Her insides did feel lighter. Her Natsuki was so romantic without meaning to be, which just made it all the more adorable. She tucked an arm around Natsuki's waist to give her a little squeeze, as if the principal was a big teddy bear; a big frowning teddy bear.

"She might as well be a teddy bear since she's so cute!" Shizuru cooed in her mind while cuddling up to the principal.

"Hey, let me go, Shizuru. I've got to do some work," Natsuki pointed out, even though she was still holding her lover. It was just that Shizuru trapped her arm at her side from hugging her around the waist.

"No, I'm staying snuggled against my cuddly Natsuki!" Shizuru declared with a grin; Natsuki could not be certain that, if she searched right now, she would not find cat ears on Shizuru's head. "Besides, Natsuki hasn't finished telling me about her lunch date," the older woman added. She just could not let it go.

Natsuki's eyes widened while her face tensed. "It wasn't a date!" she screamed to the ceiling.

"I hope it wasn't since I wasn't there," Shizuru remarked, smiling still.

"Look, it wasn't a date. We just had lunch. That's it. We talked a little, but we mostly just ate lunch. It wasn't a big deal. I wanted you to come, but I couldn't find you. It wouldn't have been right for me to hold up his lunch by searching around for you, but I wanted you to come," the raven-haired Otome insisted through clenched teeth, hoping the explanation would get her lover to shut up about things.

"I'm sure you did. That's why you went out for lunch with a strange man while leaving me here with a picnic basket all alone." And to top the comment off, a pout followed.

"I tried to find you!" Natsuki howled in her defense and then a puzzled look washed over her face. She blinked hard a couple of times. "A picnic basket?" she asked, almost as if she did not know what that was. What the hell was her girlfriend doing with a picnic basket?

"Yes, a picnic basket. I prepared a lovely picnic basket for my dearest Natsuki. I was hoping we'd have a nice outdoor lunch," Shizuru explained, making sure to pour on the hurt. Her pout went from tame to fierce. Natsuki appeared to be ready to burst into tears herself.

"We can do that tomorrow, Shizuru. Now, can I do some work?" the emerald-eyed female practically begged. She really had enough of Shizuru teasing her and she just wanted to get some work out of the way before she ended up even further behind.

"But, I like being this close to Natsuki!" Shizuru whined, cuddling up to her beloved even more. A content smile spread smoothly across her face, like honey on bread.

Natsuki knew that if she wanted to get anything done, she was going to have to think fast…which certainly was not her strong point against her girlfriend. Still, she had to try or she would end up working late to catch up. That thought made her gulp, but it did give her a brilliant idea.

"Um…Shizuru, you do know if you don't let me get to work, I'll have to stay here late at night, maybe for more than one night in a row, to catch up on everything," Natsuki pointed out, speaking in a calm and slow fashion to get her idea completely across.

Shizuru flinched at that thought. No Natsuki at night? For more than one night? Unacceptable! Her hold eased up on her lover.

"Will Natsuki work fast, so she'll be ready to leave on time?" Shizuru asked, making sure to sound extra-pathetic.

"If you get off of me and let me work," Natsuki replied, sounding more like a plea than anything else.

Shizuru pouted from the "harsh" response. "Meanie!"

Natsuki was now at the end of her rope. Her face dropped into a hopeless, exhausted expression. Shizuru had to sit up and kiss her lover just because of how adorable she looked. Natsuki returned the kiss, even though she had a feeling that she was getting it just because she looked ready to cry. The kiss was not long, barely five seconds, but it was enough for both of them until later.

"I'll leave Natsuki to her work now," Shizuru said in a whisper, as if she was saying something sensual.

The tan-haired woman slid off of her lover's lap and made her way out of the office. Natsuki sighed in relief; she was not sure how much more she could take of Shizuru's teasing. She then turned her attention back to all of her work; her shoulders dropped as soon as she caught sight of the pile.

"Oh, man! I'm going to be doing this forever!" Natsuki whined in her own head. Thoughts of banging her head against the desk to escape rang out in her mind again. It seemed like it was something so crazy that it just might work. "I never should've gone out with Takeda!" she wailed, ready to pound her fists against something from her aggravation, but she did not do that.

Dismissing the plan at injuring herself, mostly because she suspected that Shizuru would never let her hear the end of it when the older Otome inevitably found her with a self-inflicted skull crack, she went with an idea she had not had in a while. She would actually do the work! Now that was so much crazier than any other idea that she had recently, she figured that might actually work better than anything else she thought of.

* * *

Shizuru walked away from the principal's office, planning to come back at the end of the day like she always did. She was wondering about Natsuki going out to lunch with some man apparently. She knew that Shiori knew that and purposely hid the truth from her, but she did not fault the girl for her actions. Shiori was trying to protect Natsuki, after all.

"And that's why I gave her that job," Shizuru reminded herself.

Well, it was one of the reasons that she gave Shiori that job. She knew that the Pearl would look out for Natsuki and, sometimes, she thought that Natsuki could use the backup. She guessed that Shiori was giving up the little support that she could offer Natsuki by trying to protect her, although she did make sure to keep herself out of it. Well, she was a smart girl, Shizuru reminded herself; it was another reason the Pearl got the job.

She also gave Shiori the job because she knew the girl would keep a good eye on Natsuki and she would be willing to help Shizuru doing little mischievous things to the principal. Nothing dangerous or particularly devilish, just little things to have fun with Natuki…or at Natsuki's expense as the principal tended to see things.

Shiori would also ignore any "peculiar" sounds coming from the office and try to keep Miss Maria out if need be. It took a lot of guts to stand up to Miss Maria, even if it was for the principal and everyone's favorite Otome, namely Shizuru. And to top matters off, Shiori was also an excellent receptionist to go along with all of those things.

"Perhaps I'll talk to Shiori and see if she'll tell me if this man comes by again. I should get Natsuki to tell me his name. Then I can find out more about him to make sure it's all right for him to hang around Natsuki. I don't want anything to happen to her after all," Shizuru said in her head.

The Graceful Smiling Amethyst would have continued thinking on those lines, but she was suddenly ambushed by several students. At first, she did not register their presences or their ramblings because she had other things on her mind, but that was only for a second. They did not even notice the distance look in those dark scarlet eyes, which quickly disappeared. Her usual bright smile appeared instantly when she saw the girls.

The girls beamed from their hero paying them some mind and smiling at them. How lucky! They all thought at the same time and it would not have been a surprise if hearts appeared in their eyes as they gazed at Shizuru. She laughed a bit.

"Now, what seems to be the problem?" Shizuru asked in her usual lighthearted, gentle tone with a matching smile and that was when the girls remembered that they could talk.

* * *

Shizuru chuckled softly as she entered the office of her girlfriend to find Natsuki dutifully buried up to her eyeballs in paperwork. Natsuki had her head on the desk, but a pen in her hand, which was working hard on a paper underneath it. The raven-haired Gakuenchou was frowning tightly in the direction of the offending paper while a tiny scratching noise echoed through the place; it was the sound of the pen on the document underneath it.

"Natsuki looks like the paper has done her some great wrong," Shizuru remarked, eyes shining from mirth.

"It has by not going away," Natsuki grumbled while picking her head up.

Natsuki yawned, raising one hand and rubbing her eye with the other. Shizuru smiled at the sight and closed the distance between them while Natsuki was concentrating on yawning. The younger woman yelped and pulled back when she opened her eyes to see Shizuru right in front of her.

"Did I scare you?" Shizuru asked with a near creepy smile.

"You always scare me," Natsuki mumbled, which only got more of a smile from her beloved.

"Meanie," Shizuru whispered before leaning in for a brief kiss. It was a mere peck on the lips. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"Yeah, let's go," Natsuki answered as she tried to get up, but Shizuru remained blocking her. So, she was stuck in her chair. "What's the big idea?" she inquired, a curious eyebrow arched.

"Nothing. I just want to play with Natsuki a little bit in the office. Let's play unhappy worker and hot boss," Shizuru proposed with a smile that was just shy of demonic. The twinkle in her molten scarlet eyes was not helping.

"Shizuru, right now, I _am_ an unhappy worker. I want to go home," Natsuki replied with a tired sigh.

"But, I want to play," Shizuru stated. "After all, Natsuki left me all alone to have lunch with…what was his name again?" She paused to look thoughtful, even though she knew full and well that Natsuki never said a name.

"This is about that again? Let it go, Shizuru. I'll make up it to you, I promise. I'll do anything you want," Natsuki vowed. She would do just about anything to get out of her office and away from all of the paperwork at that point.

Shizuru smirked; the expression was now fully demonic. "You'll play with me then."

"Shizuru," Natsuki whined, closing her eyes for a moment from frustration.

And then came the pout, which was a higher evil to Natsuki than the smirk would ever be. Shizuru had probably sold her soul to the devil to get that wicked pout. That or Shizuru was a witch…which would explain a lot of things, even more than her possibly selling her soul.

"I guess Natsuki doesn't like me anymore. She would rather have lunch dates with…what is his name again?" Shizuru wondered, tapping her chin lightly with her index finger.

"It wasn't a date!" Natsuki shouted, throwing her hands up in irritation. _Why the hell did Shizuru keep calling it a date?! It was just lunch!_

"Yes, Natsuki's dating…"

"I'm not dating Takeda!"

So, his name was Takeda. Shizuru made sure to keep that at the forefront of her mind to go look into things later on. And that was one thing down that Shizuru wanted and now for that other thing.

"Well, if Natsuki's not dating him, she must still be dating me. And if Natsuki is still dating me, she should be looking to make up for cheating on me with him," Shizuru said, almost as if that was actually logic she just used to come to that conclusion.

"I wasn't cheating! It wasn't a date! It was just lunch!" Natsuki insisted.

"Natsuki was cheating." Again came the pout, much stronger than before.

The principal felt like she might cry as she made to tight fists. She knew that Shizuru was just messing with her, but she still could not stand to see that pout on her beautiful face. She sighed in defeat.

"Fine. What does the boss want me to do now?" Natsuki asked, trying to get into her role.

Shizuru smiled and clapped merrily. Now, she got the other thing she wanted. Play time!

* * *

Next time: things seem to get back to normal for the couple, even though Shizuru keeps pressing the issue about Takeda.


	6. Meal time

I don't own these characters. Sunrise owns them.

6: Meal time

Shizuru was aimlessly wandering the halls of the school, not that one could ever tell by looking at her. There was that usual determined glint in her crimson eyes, making it seem like she was marching to war. Her shoes barely made a sound as she moved across the tiles. It was a habit of hers to move as quietly as possible, no matter where she was; it made it easier to pounce Natsuki, after all.

She had already had tea with Natsuki, fooled around a bit with the principal, and even discussed some business, but she did not have anything to do with everything being quiet around the school and, especially, the world. So, until lunchtime, she had leisure time. She was just going to make sure to show up on time for lunch. Not that that was on her mind at all, or so she told herself.

"It's not like Natsuki would have lunch without me twice. That's just silly," Shizuru commented mentally as she continued to walk the halls; her shoes made soft click noises occasionally and those were the only things accompanying her in her wanderings.

Of course it was silly, her brain chimed in, trying to reassure her that she would not be forgotten. Natsuki liked having her around, liked being around her. When they were students, Natsuki would not leave her alone, looking for any and every excuse to be in her company. Sometimes she did make it a point to act annoyed half the time she was with Shizuru.

Shizuru never had a problem with Natsuki wanting to be around her, even when the younger woman pretended to not want to be in her company. She always thought that there was something unbelievably adorable underneath her tough biker girl exterior. There was always something funny about Natsuki in a Coral uniform fawning over her like so many other girls in the school, but making it seem like she really could not stand Shizuru.

"The cute thing was that she tried so hard to hide it," Shizuru remembered and a small, pleasant smile eased onto her face. Back then, her lover wanted it to seem as if she did not like anyone, of course.

It was because Natsuki tried to hide her interest in Shizuru back then that caused Shizuru to find out one of the principal's most embarrassing secrets: she blushed easily. Oh, she was so cute when she blushed; a lot of girls agreed with that, but no one aside for Shizuru had the courage to say it seriously. Just thinking of the sight of a young fourteen-year-old Natsuki blushing, that light red staining her fair, porcelain skin, made Shizuru's heart speed up. She placed two fingers to her chest, hoping to calm her heart down before it caused itself an injury.

"It seemed like back then, no matter what I said to her, a blush would shoot right up on her face. I feared that she might pass out from the pressure in her face if I kept her blushing for too long," Shizuru remarked to herself, still smiling, seeming both proud and amused while thinking about how effortlessly she used to be able to make her Natsuki blush.

Of course, she loved getting a blush out of Natsuki back then, just as much as she did now. She considered the blush might have been the first thing that she fell in love with when it came to Natsuki. The lone wolf behavior and lack of trying when it came to school were second and third respectively.

Natsuki's attitude in general back then had been so different from the other Corals, but also similar. She seemed to not want to be at the school (well, come to find out now, after their little argument a few days ago,she probably did not want to be at the school in actuality), but there she was falling over herself to be around the top Pearl at the time. Almost all of the Corals fawned over the top Pearl at the time. They would do just about anything for Shizuru's attention, something that Shizuru had been annoyed with at first, but grew love; now it seemed like she could not get enough attention, especially from her beloved Natsuki.

Natsuki had been attached and attracted to her for roughly ten years. She had been the same. They had been in love for a number of years; she did not put a number on it because it was hard to pinpoint the exact moment that they had fallen in love with each other. For a reason that she could not figure out, she had to remind herself of those things.

* * *

The silence of the principal's office was disturbed. Natsuki yawned and stretched in her seat, which was parked in front of her desk. Her bones and joints seemed to make a protest, cracking slightly as she moved. The chair creaked a bit because of her movement.

She glanced over at her clock, the solid red numbers informing her that it was close to her favorite time of the working day. She began to clear her desk of the papers that littered the area; thanks to all of the work, it was hard to tell that the surface of the desk was a rich black color. She made a hasty stack and set those documents aside to the left; that was the place where finished work went. Unfinished work was put in a sloppy pile to the right where it could be easily grabbed when she started working again.

Her stomach suddenly growled and she placed her hand to her pale, showing belly. "Calm down. Food should be coming soon."

As if she could read minds, Shizuru came in right then, holding a picnic basket and smiling brightly, as she usually did. Natsuki smiled too, which caused her girlfriend's heart to go light. Shizuru's eyes shone and gleamed like the gems they were colored after.

"How has my Natsuki been today?" Shizuru inquired tenderly as she practically glided across the office to her lover.

"Bored," Natsuki answered the obvious and her beloved mouthed the response along with her. Shizuru then giggled, which only got louder when Natsuki frowned.

Shizuru took that moment to lean down and kiss her adorable Natsuki. Despite the upset expression, Natsuki did return the show of affection. In fact, the raven-haired woman reached up, putting her arms around Shizuru and bringing the older Otome closer to her. Shizuru smiled against her lover's soft lips.

Shizuru brought her hand up to rest on Natsuki's cheek. The cheek was like the lips, soft to the touch. Natsuki's skin was like cream, Shizuru thought, andshe was the happy kitty looking to lap the cream up.

They did not pull away from each other until they needed air and even then, they did not pull away far. Shizuru came back in for another kiss a couple of seconds later, but Natsuki did not respond that time. She pulled back a bit, which caused the elder woman's brow to furrow as if she could not understand why she was not getting her kiss.

"Um…Shizuru, I'm a little hungry," Natsuki informed her love, looking away as if she was ashamed of such a thing. The action earned her a tiny smile from her lover.

"Oh, right. We are supposed to be having lunch, so I should feed my Natsuki," Shizuru said as if she just recalled why she was there. She lightly patted her forehead for her forgetfulness and she smiled a little bigger than she was already doing.

Shizuru pulled away and turned her attention to the picnic basket that she brought in with her. Natsuki turned her eyes to the basket too, following it as if her eyes were magnetically connected to it as it was placed on the desk. She did not think anything about the basket being weird for an indoor lunch as she usually would; she was just hungry and wanted to see what Shizuru made for them. She did have the brain power to hope that mayonnaise was included with the meal, not that it generally was.

Shizuru glanced at her girlfriend as she unpacked their meal. She could see Natsuki's attention was just on the food. She shook her head; if only Natsuki could focus on more than one thing at a time, she mused. She just wanted Natsuki to look at her the way that the emerald-eyed principal was looking at the food: with longing.

The light-haired Otome sighed at her thoughts, knowing that Natsuki would not be eyeing at her as she desired until the food was all gone. So, she quickly set things up. Natsuki searched through the large meal, which consisted of sandwiches, various fruits, salad, a bottle of wine, and mayonnaise. Natsuki practically grinned when she caught sight of her favorite condiment.

"If only Natsuki would look at me with such delight," Shizuru remarked in a teasing tone, a smirk playing on her lips. Never mind the fact that she was speaking the truth.

Natsuki looked up as she reached for the mayo while Shizuru passed her a sandwich. "Huh?" the principal asked while staring up at her girlfriend.

Shizuru giggled. "Nothing. Nothing at all." Oh, if only her precious Natsuki could focus on more than one thing at a time, she thought.

"You actually brought mayonnaise," Natsuki said in a bit of a daze, but her surprise did make it into her voice. She wasted no time in dumping as much mayo as she could on her sandwich, both the top half and the bottom half. The sandwich was on a roll, which did allow her to put a lot of her favorite condiment on it.

Shizuru shuddered in disgust. "I guess I'll just have to make sure she has a little wine before I kiss her again," she thought to herself. She really did not like the way that Natsuki tasted after eating mayonnaise. She always thought that she would get used to it after a while, but time seemed intent on proving her wrong.

Natsuki did not know what was going on in her lover's head and would probably care less than nothing if she did know at the moment. She looked as if she was in complete and total heaven as she bit into her mayo smothered sandwich, a smile spreading across her face just like she had with the mayonnaise on her sandwich. Her eyes closed and she moaned with delight as she slowly chewed, savoring every little bit of the food.

"Natsuki's new friend isn't going to be joining us?" Shizuru asked with an eyebrow slightly up before taking a small bite of her sandwich. She used her usual lighthearted tone while speaking belying a tiny, burning sensation that she felt in her stomach and throat from the thought of the fellow.

"My new friend?" Natsuki asked, mouth full of chewed food; if Shizuru had not known her for so long, she would not have understood the garbled mess that came out Natsuki's mouth in place of speech. The raven-haired principal looked honestly confused, her face scrunched up a bit and her eyebrows knitted together.

"Takeda, I believe his name was," Shizuru elaborated, keeping her tone even, despite the fact that the burning was getting a little stronger.

"Oh, him." Natsuki did not sound too excited over her "friend's" mention. "I doubt he'll be back around for a while. He just came up to check on a girl in his keep," she replied, words clearer now because she swallowed most of the sandwich that occupied her mouth seconds ago.

Shizuru nodded. "A girl in his keep? He's in charge of a Coral student?"

"Yeah, a new admit named Kyoko…something," Natsuki replied, focusing more on her sandwich than anything else. She took another huge bite; it was almost as if she was trying her best to fit the whole sandwich in her mouth, even though it was clearly impossible.

"Kyoko Heinrich?" Shizuru asked.

Natsuki nodded now. "Yeah, I think that's her."

Shizuru only made a noise and Natsuki either did not hear it or was not curious enough to ask about it because she just continued in on her food. Shizuru let the subject drop, but she did note that the small fire that was lit in her had gone out just as suddenly as it sprang up. She smiled softly to herself as she quietly ate too, just enjoying being around the principal.

"Shizuru, you make the best food," Natsuki said out of the blue while shoving the rest of her sandwich, a piece that was half the size of her hand, in her mouth all at once.

"Now, if only Natsuki would use some manners while eating the food," Shizuru remarked, sounding quite amused and the twinkle in her eyes backed up the tone.

Natsuki's face was immediately covered in a light, embarrassed blush. The Graceful Amethyst felt like her work was done for the afternoon since she got a priceless blush from her beloved. She smiled more than she had already been doing as Natsuki shook her head to rid herself of the blush.

"Sometimes, I think she blushes just because she knows how much I love it," Shizuru commented in her head as Natsuki's face finally returned to normal. After all, table manners were never high on the younger woman's "to do" list.

"I am using some manners," Natsuki argued in a low tone, after making sure that she swallowed everything that was in her mouth.

"Yes, the name manners as crocodile would use," the older woman teased.

Natsuki sneered mockingly before reaching for an apple as the final bit of her sandwich disappeared into her mouth, never to be seen again. The piece of fruit was already peeled and cut up, even though Natsuki had no problem munching an apple whole and with the skin. Shizuru was happy to see her girlfriend eating the apples and smiled because of that; her eyes sparkled as if she was amused.

Natsuki arched an eyebrow to her love's suspicious expression. She wondered if she had food on her face because it did look like Shizuru was probably laughing at her in her head. She wiped the corners of her mouth with her hand, which earned her a curious and puzzled look from Shizuru. It was then the raven-haired Otome realized that if she had something on her face, Shizuru would have reached over and wiped her mouth for her, as she typically did.

"What's so funny?" Natsuki decided to ask.

"Funny?" Shizuru echoed as if she did not know what her lover meant. She had the nerve to look bewildered, eyes slightly wide and her eyebrows curled up.

"Yeah, what's so funny? You're smiling and everything, doing that whole 'my Natsuki's so cute thing' in your head I bet."

"But, my Natsuki is so cute!" Shizuru used that as an excuse to throw herself into Natsuki's lap.

The principal grunted in a most-unladylike fashionas Shizuru crashed onto her lap. The fair-haired female quickly make herself comfortable in her favorite seat. Shizuru moved her face close to her paramour's, almost having their noses touch. Shizuru had to resist the urge of driving her lips against Natsuki's immediately. She wanted to tease her girlfriend for a little bit and then have Natsuki eventually lean in and start their affectionate play. It was always nice when Natsuki started things, in Shizuru's opinion anyway.

"I'm not cute," the younger woman complained in a grumble while glancing away. Her work happened to catch her eye and she thought about getting back to that now that she had eaten. She was close to getting caught up, so she would have some free time soon enough.

"Yes, you are. My Natsuki is a precious little pup," Shizuru insisted with a gleeful smile on her face. She then had the nerve to gently pat Natsuki on the head.

"Cut it out." Natsuki lightly swatted at the hand on her skull. Her eyes wandered back to her work and took much of her brain with them.

"What? I can't pet my pup?" Ruby eyes actually looked curious, as if she did not understand why the principal would not want her head rubbed.

"I'm not a pet for you to just rub like you wanna see my leg shake or something," Natsuki huffed, scowling quite a bit.

It took all of Shizuru's willpower to keep the conversation rated merely PG at that point, not that it mattered since they were the only two in the office. Her mind was definitely on the mature side of things now because she would love nothing more than to see Natsuki's leg shake. Natsuki's left leg had a habit of trembling whenever she was brought to the height of pleasure.

Shizuru now really wanted Natsuki to just kiss her, so they could get started. But, she desired for the younger woman to begin things, so she could not just lean in and take what she wanted. Oh, the things she did to push Natsuki to be more romantic.

"C'mon, cut it out," Natsuki said again as she grabbed Shizuru's hand to make the petting stop. After all, she was not some lost puppy.

Shizuru made sure to pout; some of it was her usual false pout, but a little of it was genuine. Why was her Natsuki being so serious and dispassionate? This was not cute behavior at all. It was also not normal behavior; yes, Natsuki was generally a cranky person, but it was typically more of an act when she was with Shizuru than anything else. She was quite serious right now, though.

"Natsuki is being such a meanie to me!" Shizuru whined and then she tucked her head into Natsuki's collar. She pretended to cry into her lover's strong shoulder.

"Hey, hey, hey! I just didn't want you petting me like that! It's nothing serious!" Natsuki insisted as she looked down and put her hands to Shizuru's soft, beautiful face. She tried to gently lift her lover's head, but it was not working as she wanted it to.

"Natsuki is so mean to me!"

"I'm not being mean! I just didn't want you petting me like that! C'mon, don't cry!" Natsuki begged desperately, still trying in vain to pick up the older woman's head. Underneath it all, she knew that Shizuru was not really crying, but just the possibility that she might have actually hurt Shizuru's feelings churned at her insides and made her brain turn to mush. Thinking always went out of the window with the possibility that she might have heard her girlfriend.

Sniffles came from against the principal's shirt. "Natsuki is just so mean to me, yelling and everything."

"I didn't mean to yell at you or anything," the emerald-eyed woman promised in a soft tone, placing an equally soft kiss to the side of her girlfriend's head.

"Got her," Shizuru thought with a hidden, nearly-wicked smirk. So, her cute Natsuki was back in full effect. She could only wonder what made her precious one vanish for a few minutes as she did, replaced by a very serious, almost detached individual. Her mind offered up a distasteful answer for a moment, but she ignored it.

To keep herself from letting another revolting, and probably dishonest, answer enter her mind, she lifted her head to face Natsuki, who looked as concerned for her as always, even when she knew that Shizuru was faking. Yes, so it was merely a ridiculous thought, Shizuru assured herself; her Natsuki would never be thinking of anyone else aside from her.

"I'm really sorry," Natsuki said before leaning in for a tender, sweet, but short kiss on the mouth. She could taste the remnants of her lover's lunch on her lips and she could feel small puffs of Shizuru's breath for the brief moments that their mouths connected.

"That kiss didn't really convince me," Shizuru commented, smirking just a little.

Natsuki knew that Shizuru's little temper tantrum was over, but she leaned in to give her girlfriend just what she wanted. Shizuru almost sighed contently when Natsuki's lips pressed against hers. The embrace was like many in the past, but the consistency was one of the things that Shizuru loved. It was great to be able to tell that she was loved through every kiss that she got from Natsuki; and, of course, she got plenty of those.

* * *

"Damn it," Natsuki muttered to herself as she adjusted her shirt for about the fifth time, which seemed to help as much as the first four times did. The cloth was wrinkled now thanks to Shizuru practically ripping it off of her during their "lunch time." There was a lot more eating done than she intended.

Natsuki could not help cursing to herself again, a much harsher word that time, when she noticed that all of the papers that had been on her desk were now on the floor. She supposed it could have been worse; the papers could have fluids on them or worse yet, sticking together because of those fluids. Still, she frowned tightly as she picked up the scattered papers.

"And I was so close to being done!" she whined with actual tears in her eyes while gathering up her work. Not that she was complaining with the reason that she was picking up the papers, although she would gripe to Shizuru about it later on when she got the chance.

As she rushed to gather the papers, she noticed an envelope. She guessed her mail got mixed in with her work. Now, she was going to have to sort that too, she mentally griped; she let out a slight groan to let the walls know about her displeasure with that job. Once she had everything picked up, she sat down at her desk to semi-organize everything again.

So, finished work went back to the left while incomplete work went to the right. She wondered why the unfinished work seemed larger than before, which caused the frown on her face to deepen and a couple of lines toshowup on her forehead. She then decided to go through her mail, since she had not done that in the morning.

She flipped through the envelopes, seeing mostly things she expected and would get to later on. She paused when she came to one curious piece that had no return address on it and only had her name printed on the front. She decided to open that one.

"It's a letter," she noted as she saw the deep black ink on the plain, unlined white paper. She wasted no time reading it.

"Greeting, Headmistress Kruger. I hope this doesn't seem to forward of me, but I wanted to find some way to thank you for showing me to that wonderful restaurant and having lunch with me. It was great to talk with someone that is familiar with my kingdom and didn't look at me as if I was some country bumpkin when I said where I was from.

"It was pleasant talking with you the whole time through out lunch. I hope that we get to do it again sometime soon. I should be back to check on Kyoko sometime in the next month or so, maybe I will see you then. Once again, I don't want to seem forward, but I'd like to give you my number to call me sometime if we don't get to see each other. We can talk about our countries again.

"Thank you once again for the great time out. Sincerely, Takeda Masashi."

At the bottom was a number where he could be reached. Natsuki was a little perplexed by the letter and she did consider just throwing it out, but she silently admitted to herself that she had a good time with him at lunch. She would not mind doing it again; after all, it was rare when she could talk about the fun things that she used to do back in her home country.

"It's just lunch after all. So, maybe I will give him a call to see when he's coming up here and we can go out. Gotta remember to tell Shizuru, so she doesn't miss out," Natsuki said to herself as she folded the paper up and put it in her desk. She then got back to her paperwork.

* * *

Next time: Just when Shizuru thinks she can breathe a sigh of relief, Takeda gets in contact with Natsuki again. Will he manage to come between the couple?


	7. Phone call

I don't own these characters. 

7: Phone call

Natsuki was working at her desk, as usual. Her eyes were locked on the papers in front of her, moving as she read each line quickly, but carefully. Her hand and pen moved at a steady pace; she seemed to be completely focused on her task for the first time in a long time. 

She did glance out of the large window every now and then. The sight that greeted her was a clear day with a bright sun. It was the type of day that in the past, she would have cut school for, only to go laze around some place in the city. 

She reminded herself that soon she would be fine to go outside and lounge around whenever her eyes wandered to the windows. She dared to think that she might even be able to take her motorcycle out for a spin if she kept things up in the way that she was. She wondered if Shizuru would ride around with her for a couple of hours if she did go for a motorcycle ride.

Her mind now wavered, going right off from work to thinking about being on her bike with Shizuru behind her. She could practically feel Shizuru holding her so close that she almost looked over her shoulder to see if the older Otome was indeed there. She nodded to herself, though; as if she was confirming that it was a good idea to go for a bike ride and to take Shizuru with her.

She was then distracted by her phone ringing. The sound banished her idea to the nether regions of her mind, but seemed to remind her that she did have work left. She quickly finished up on one document before turning to answer the phone. She was surprised to find out that Takeda was on the phone.

"I hope this isn't too forward of me," Takeda said in an apologetic and nervous tone, his voice trembling. The anxiety in his voice sort of went over the head of the principal, but she did hear the apology in his voice.

"No, it's fine. What can I do for you?" she asked while turning her attention back to her work, thinking that she would be able to work on the documents and speak on the phone at the same time. She had done it a few times in the past…unfortunately, with mixed results. Talking on the phone was not something that she generally liked either, so she did not usually stay on the phone long and she thought that she would be able to get back to her work soon enough.

"I just wanted to talk. I mean, the city is a bit overwhelming for both me and Kyoko. I just got off the phone with her, helping calm her down after she felt like she couldn't keep up with her friends, but now I'm thinking that I can't keep up with what I'm supposed to be doing," he admitted sheepishly. He laughed a bit at the end, but it sounded more like a cough.

"It's not that big a deal. It just takes time to get used to it. I mean, as much as we don't like to admit it, we are just pretty much country bumpkins," she remarked, chuckling ever so slightly. Takeda laughed and agreed, nodding on the other end, unknown to the principal of course. She continued. "I know when I first came here, I was a bit in awe…not that I would let anyone know that," she mumbled that last part a bit, but it was clear enough for him to understand.

Natsuki doubted that she would ever forget when she first arrived in Windbloom. Everything seemed larger than life and it was all so very loud. Before showing up in the city, the loudest noises she heard, aside from her mother and the governesses screeching anyway, came from her brothers' motorcycles. She had not known what to make of everything and if her eldest brother had not accompanied her, she was sure that she would have run back home rather than making it to Garderobe. But, his presence somehow let her know that she was going to make it through it; not to mention, she had to be tough in front of him because that was how her brothers were.

"Well, I've been trying my best to seem normal, but it's still just so much," Takeda said, sounding a bit more comfortable now. He was smiling a bit into the phone and someone that knew him better might have been able to tell that from his tone.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it. It's just going to take sometime. I'm sure Kyoko will get used to it too. I mean, if I can adjust to it anybody can," Natsuki assured him, shrugging to emphasize her point as if he could see. 

After all, Natsuki had gone from a wild-child tomboy to…well, a less-wild Otome and a "refined" principal; people that saw her behind closed doors knew that "refined" would never come up when referring to Natsuki. Whether or not the tomboy label stood could be debated. The point was that even she could get used to confined spaces, limited mobility, and amazing technology. Hell, even Arika adjusted to it in a short time, and everyone knew just how backwards she was, so obviously it did not take a miracle to get used to the city.

"I'm trying to adjust. It's good to hear an encouraging voice, though," he informed her, sounding as if he was smiling, which he was, much broader than before. He was close to grinning, and he was not even aware of it.

Natsuki made a noise while continuing to try to do work and talk at the same time. Her hand was moving slower than before, as were her eyes. She did not seem to notice the change. She figured that along as she was still working then her plans to make it outside sometime soon would prevail.

They continued their conversation, as did Natsuki's hand, growing steadily slower. Eventually, Shizuru came in with tea, which shocked Natsuki. Was it time for tea already? She guessed so if Shizuru was there, but she did have to check the clock just to be sure. She was almost swore out loud when she saw that Shizuru was right on time…not that she expected any less of her gleeful lover.

Shizuru did not interrupt the phone call, thinking that it was a business call because Natsuki was not a fan of using the phone for personal reasons. If there was someone that she wished to talk to for recreation, Natsuki sought that person out for face-to-face interactions. It was endearing and cute as far as Shizuru was concerned, but then again, almost everything involving Natsuki was that way with her.

While the fair-haired Otome started setting up to have tea with her darling Natsuki, she caught bits of the conversation and was able to gather that it was not business related. Curiosity sparked, but remained hidden, like most things, behind a pleasant smile and shining ruby eyes. She flawlessly set up the tea and took her space on the edge of Natsuki's desk in order to share it with her beloved.

The phone called continued, although Natsuki was now half into it while sipping her tea. She was barely moving her pen now. She was cradling the phone to her ear using her shoulder to have a free hand for her tea. Natsuki knew that she was not the best multi-tasker in the world when it came to simple things, so she could guess that joggling three things would not work out well. Yet, she continued to carry on doing what she was doing.

The raven-haired principal glanced over to Shizuru constantly, a familiar pleading in her emerald eyes, and all the older woman did was smile at her in return. The older woman settled into her space, trying to place who her girlfriend might be on the phone with and trying to escape, even though Natsuki was talking quite a bit to the person. She noted that her lover looked slightly disappointed at her smile, and she was not too sure what to make of that considering the fact that Natsuki seemed to be having quite the friendly conversation.

Natsuki sighed; apparently, her lover was not going to save her from the phone call. So, she carried on because of those manners that had been beaten into her thick skull for most of her life. There was one thing to be said about thick skulls: while it might have taken great effort to beat things into it, at least now it was nigh-impossible for those things to leak out. Of course, that worked against her constantly, like now since she wanted to get off of the phone.

Shizuru made it seem like she was minding her own business, but she was listening in of course. She sipped her tea and glanced at her Natsuki out of the corner of her eye. Natsuki was fidgety, which was typical when she was on the phone for more than a few minutes, even if she was enjoying the conversation. 

The principal tapped her fingers against her desk and tea cup, definitely not writing now since she had not sprouted another hand at any point in the last few minutes. She twirled her small, glass tea cup on her fingers once she was done with her drink. She tossed the cup in the air a few times, catching it by the handle on different fingers. Some might think that she was bored or nervous because of the action, but that was not really the case. She just needed something to do with her hands; apparently, writing was not one of those things.

"That mountain is the best after a decent snow, isn't it?" Natsuki commented with a smile, still carrying on her conversation with Takeda and fidgeting with damn near anything that she could get her hands on, except her work. As with conversations in the past, they had drifted right back to their home lands. "Me and my brothers had the best snowball fights there…which usually turned into real fights, but that's another story." She laughed a bit as did Takeda.

The discussion went on in much the same manner with talks about their homelands, and Shizuru just sat there for the whole thing. Her facial expression did not betray any of her thoughts, as usual. On the inside, she was, of course, trying to figure out just who her beloved was on the phone with for so long. She knew it was Natsuki's brothers, who were just about the only people that the principal would stay on the phone with longer than average. So, who had her Natsuki talking?

When Natsuki disconnected the call, she sighed again, as if she was tired. She ran her hand through her long, ebony locks and glanced up at Shizuru, who was sipping a new cup of tea. Then the principal glanced over at the clock again.

"Damn it!" Natsuki cursed loudly when she saw what time it was. Her girlfriend started a bit, shocked by Natsuki's declaration.

"Is something wrong Natsuki?" Shizuru asked curiously, her voice normal for the most part.

"I didn't know it was this late! I was planning to finish all of this crap up early and I was hoping we could go for a ride!" the younger woman huffed while motioning to the pile of work that was still in front of her.

An amused smile graced Shizuru's elegant features. "Oh, Natsuki had such naughty plans for us."

Natsuki's face scrunched up for a moment; Shizuru knew that it would take her girlfriend a few seconds to get that one since innuendo, even now, went over her head. As expected, the principal turned a bright scarlet once she figured out what Shizuru meant. Crimson eyes sparkled from the mirth of seeing the delightful blush.

"I didn't mean it like that, you idiot! I just thought we'd be able to go out on my bike if I finally got things finished here at a decent hour, but I won't be done for a while now," Natsuki grumbled as she stared at her pile of work. It would have been nice to take that ride, she thought with a mental sigh. It could have been sort of like the old days, not that she had been able to take Shizuru out much at all at any point in their history together since there was always something going on. 

Mentally, Shizuru conceded that it would have been nice to go on a bike ride with Natsuki. On the few occasions that they had gotten the chance to do such a thing, she had enjoyed it, especially when she got the chance to see the look of peace on Natsuki's face. It was always clear that Natsuki did prefer to be a free spirit, but was apparently willing to accept the responsibility handed to her. 

"I'm sorry," Natsuki muttered as if she had screwed up big time. She actually looked ashamed of herself; she was more disappointed in herself. She thought that she had such a brilliant plan and she just let herself get carried away with talking about nothing really for so long.

"It's all right, Natsuki," Shizuru assured her in a tender tone as she circled around the desk. She leaned down, cupping the younger woman's face and giving her a sweet peck on the lips. She lingered close to her beloved as she whispered, "Thank you for thinking of me, though."

"I can't believe I wasted all this time on the phone! I don't even talk to my brothers for that long!" Natsuki complained once her girlfriend was a decent distance away for her to not end up screaming in the Third Column's face.

"Who were you talking to?" Shizuru asked curiously, making sure to sound normal. It took quite a bit of willpower to avoid sounding eager for the information.

"Takeda," the younger woman answered without thinking. She even shrugged, making it seem as if it was nothing.

Shizuru blinked hard on that response, but Natsuki's ability to not notice a lot of things worked in the older Otome's favor; it was really a double-edged sword. Her dearest one was on the phone for so long with some man that she claimed was not her friend? Shizuru suddenly felt like acid bubbled up in her stomach and got caught in her throat, burning intensely at her insides. Her mischievous side came to the rescue, looking to quell the feeling with normalcy.

"That was Takeda on the phone? Ara ara, Natsuki forsook a date with me to speak with Takeda?" Shizuru pretended to seem as if she was going to burst into tears and she turned her back to Natsuki. Somewhere in the deep, dark abyss that was Shizuru's mind, she knew that she was actually acting the way that she wanted to, but the teasing gave her the necessary façade to be hurt while not appearing weak or insecure.

"Wha? Wait! It wasn't like that!" Natsuki argued as she stood up, going behind her lover, and wrapped her arms around the taller woman. "It's just that he called out of the blue and he was feeling overwhelmed. I didn't know we'd talk that long. I really wanted to go out with you today, but we should be able to do it soon. I'm working hard," the former biker seemed to promise.

Shizuru smiled a little and put her hands onto Natsuki's hands, which were nuzzled over her stomach. "Natsuki is always working hard," she commented in a low voice, as if she was saying something sexy. If "working hard" was a relative term anyway, but she honestly thought that her girlfriend did her best most of the time…when she tried anyway.

"Idiot," Natsuki muttered, assuming that Shizuru was teasing her as usual.

The couple stayed as they were for a few long seconds before Shizuru excused herself to let Natsuki finish "working hard." She calmly exited the office, making sure to smile at Shiori as she passed the receptionist's desk. She ended up going to the apartment that she shared with Natsuki and took a few deep breaths while wrapping her arms around herself. She imagined Natsuki was holding her.

"I would have liked to have gone out with Natsuki on her motorcycle," Shizuru murmured to herself, as if it was a secret.

The fair-haired woman remembered the few times that Natsuki had taken her out on the bike. The first time, despite her quiet rebellious nature, she had been quite scared. She had never ridden a motorcycle before. It did not help matters that Natsuki had stolen the bike; later on, her brothers shipped her a bike of her own. It had been a freeing experience and the first time that she had even seen a look of peace of her beloved Natsuki's face.

----(Flashback)

"Is Natsuki sure this is safe?" a teenage Shizuru asked, hiding her nervousness; her anxiety had nothing to do with the fact that she and Natsuki sneaked out of school late that night. They were in street clothes to avoid being recognized, or busted. She was in plain tan slacks and a white tee-shirt.

"Eh? The top Pearl scared?" the young Natsuki inquired with a lopsided grin on her face, happy to be doing the teasing instead of getting teased for once. She was wearing dark blue jeans and a baggy black tee-shirt.

"I'm not scared. I'm only wondering if this is safe. Besides, I really shouldn't be supportive of Natsuki breaking the law," Shizuru commented, shaking a disapproving finger at her friend.

"Not really breaking it. Just bending it a bit. I mean, I'm gonna bring the bike back after all," Natsuki pointed out as she finally got the bike running. She grinned and pumped her fist in the air in victory. "Yes! Let's go."

"Are…you sure?" Shizuru asked, her apprehension starting to get the better of her. She had never been on one of those things, after all. She even took a small step back while eyeing the bike as if it was a vicious monster that might bite her.

"Of course. Now, let's go," Natsuki urged her friend while mounting the bike. She grabbed Shizuru by the hand and yanked the older girl down to her.

Shizuru yelped as she hit the seat. Natsuki did not give her much of a chance to do anything else other than right herself and hold on because the raven-haired girl started the bike as soon as Shizuru was behind her. Shizuru let out a shout when Natsuki took off down the road, pulling the bike's front wheel up while she was at it.

"Isn't this great?" Natsuki asked with a huge grin.

"Shouldn't both wheels be on the ground?" Shizuru countered with her eyes shut tightly from shock; her mask was down without permission thanks to Natsuki's riding on just the back wheel. 

"That'll come later! Isn't it just like flying?" the younger teen said while making sure to keep the front wheel up as much as possible. If she could show off a little, she would have told Shizuru to watch her do some tricks, but she would not do that with a passenger on her back.

"We can fly with our robes," Shizuru pointed out, eyes still closed and her grip on the driver seemed to be getting tighter by the second. If things persisted, it was quite possible that she could snap her younger companion in half.

"It's not the same thing," Natsuki argued and she glanced back as it registered to her mind that Shizuru was clinging to her. She saw that her cohort had her blood-colored eyes shut tight. "Shizuru," she said in a surprisingly gentle tone.

The voice that came out of Natsuki's mouth got Shizuru's attention because she had never heard anything like it and she opened her eyes. She looked at Natsuki, who smiled softly at her. The older teen felt her heart melt and a warmth spread all over her body. She had never felt such a thing before.

"Don't worry, Shizuru. I won't let anything happen to you," the biker said with a small smile.

"Natsuki…" Shizuru whispered as if she was stunned. 

Natsuki turned her attention back ahead of them while Shizuru snuggled closer to her. The older girl did have the sensation that she was flying. It brought a genuine smile to her face and she noticed that Natsuki seemed as if everything was right in the world, which only made her smile more.

----(End flashback)

"Damn it, I can't believe I just talked for that long and didn't even realize it. All of this damn work. It's so annoying," Natsuki grumbled to herself. 

A pen in the principal's pale hand moved rapidly and stiffly. Her eyebrow twitched every now and then while she tried to stay focused on the papers under her hand. Despite the fact that her phone call was the reason that she was working so late, she did not even think to curse it or the person responsible for it as she usually would. She just kept working, hoping that she would be done sometime soon.

"Ara ara, my Natsuki is still working so hard," Shizuru commented as she entered the office. Her lover looked up at her smiling face as soon as she came in.

"Shizuru," Natsuki said as if she was surprised.

"I'm here to pick Natsuki up, like always."

"It's time to go already?" Natsuki glanced over at her clock and made a shocked face. "Holy crap, it's late!" she declared while her eyes seemed ready to fall out of her skull.

Shizuru laughed a bit. "Well, at least Natsuki can still tell time."

"I'm sorry, Shizuru. I should've left a while ago."

"It's fine," the older woman assured her lover, dismissing the apology with a graceful wave of her hand. She was just glad to see that Natsuki was at her desk working and not on the phone again.

"That bike ride is looking more and more tempting with all of this work," Natsuki commented with a forced laugh. Sure, she knew that she could not ride her bike forever, but riding it every now and then was nice. Riding it with Shizuru tended to be best.

"Well, we could've gone if Natsuki wasn't such a chatterbox," Shizuru teased her girlfriend, hiding the fact that she wanted to go out just as badly as her girlfriend did.

Natsuki sucked her teeth. "Damn it, I didn't mean to talk that long. What the hell's the matter with me?" she wondered aloud while scratching her head, like she was seriously trying to consider an answer.

Shizuru did not supply her with an answer. She did look at the principal thoughtfully. What had come over Natsuki to keep her talking for some long? From what she could tell, Natsuki had gotten caught up in talking about scenery and land.

"Natsuki, is your friend from your land?" Shizuru asked curiously, a thoughtful finger to her chin that made her look quite alluring.

"My friend?" Natsuki echoed in a puzzled tone, taking a moment to look up at Shizuru with confused mint eyes.

"Takeda-san," Shizuru clarified while wondering if her girlfriend was serious or if she was just joking around by acting as if she did know who Shizuru was referring to.

"He's from around there, a neighboring kingdom. But, our lands are on really friendly terms, so he's pretty much from the same place as I am," the Second Column explained, trying to focus back on her work.

Shizuru nodded to show that she understood. Well, that explained why they had spoken for so long. She knew that Natsuki came from essentially the boondocks, so it was rare for her to meet anyone from her homeland and she really had not had any contact with anyone from her homeland in a long time. Still, even with such logic, a slight burning sensation continued to churn in the older Otome's gut.

"It must be nice for Natsuki to have a friend from her land," Shizuru commented with a small smile.

"He's not my friend," Natsuki argued in an almost absent tone since she was trying to stay focused on her work. 

"But, Natsuki spoke to him for so long."

"It was just a one-time thing. I mean, he called out of the blue and just wouldn't shut up," the principal replied, making it sound almost like she was held hostage on the phone by Takeda during their conversation.

"Natsuki seemed like she was enjoying herself."

The raven-haired Otome frowned. "You know I hate talking on the phone. Today wasn't any different."

Shizuru focused her eyes on her girlfriend, knowing that Natsuki was not just saying those things as if she was trying to cover her tracks or anything. After all, Natsuki knew that lying to her was rather pointless, so Natsuki never really tried to anymore. She guessed that Natsuki's memory was already molding what happened that afternoon into something that she was more used to. She smiled and shook her head; only her Natsuki.

"Are you almost done with this?" Shizuru inquired while brushing her hand across the top of Natsuki's knuckles.

"I'll leave it for tomorrow. Let's get going," Natsuki answered while dropping her pen, liking the excuse to leave. Well, really, she would like just about any excuse to abandon her duties once again.

"But, if Natsuki stops now, she won't be able to take me out on her motorcycle tomorrow," Shizuru commented with a smile.

"You're kidding, right?" Natsuki deadpanned.

"No. Now that Natsuki brought it up, I would like to go out for a ride, so you have to finish you work."

Natsuki frowned and picked her pen back up. Shizuru held onto Natsuki's unoccupied hand and smiled to herself. She was glad that Natsuki was willing to work so hard for her; it eased that burning feeling in her belly until it eventually went away. 

Shizuru looked forward to their future bike ride too. She would get to see Natsuki's peaceful face; something that was reserved just for her. She would be able to cuddle into Natsuki's shoulder and feel that wonderful flying sensation that made it seem like only she and Natsuki existed in the entire world. She would know that Natsuki was hers and hers alone.

* * *

Next time: Time for a party with Natsuki in a dress, a few otomes, and a lot of trouble.


	8. If looks could kill

I don't own these characters

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

8: If looks could kill

"Damn it!" Natsuki shouted to the ceiling as she finally made time to go through all of her backed-up mail. It was at the bottom of the pile that she noticed a key piece of information that she really should have paid more attention to. Instead, she let her mail build up and now she was at a loss.

The headmaster was distracted from her distress as her office door eased opened. She gulped and paled, thinking that it was Miss Maria and that the older Otome had heard her swearing. She could already hear the scolding lecture that she would get; she could also already feel herself falling asleep from said lecture. She briefly imagined that long, reprimanding index finger of the frightening Otome pointing invisible, shaming daggers at her while she was being lectured too. She quickly found out that she was wrong in her assumption; it was not Miss Maria at the door, thankfully.

"Ara, what has Natsuki screaming so loudly when I'm not even in the room?" Shizuru remarked with a small smile as she stepped into the office and closed the door behind her. She came in with her usual tea, ready to spend time with her beloved as always.

"I totally forgot about this thing!" Natsuki held up a small envelope and shoved it forward for her lover to see. The dark-haired principal looked ready to have a panic attack and tear her hair out as she held out the letter for Shizuru to see.

"What's this thing?" Shizuru asked curiously as she set up the tea on the principal's desk. She eyed the envelope for a moment and could guess what it was, but she wished that Natsuki did not panic over every little thing that seemed to slip her mind.

"The ball!" Natsuki shouted in despair, closing her eyes while frowning in desperation. She tugged at the air with tight fists for a moment. If she was not so upset over the fact that she had forgotten something quite important, she could have realized that she was just giving her girlfriend ammunition to tease her with later on.

"The ball? Oh, you mean the annual ball that's thrown every year on this exact date?" Shizuru inquired, keeping her usual tone, so it was quite clear that she was making fun of Natsuki. It was taking all of the fair-haired woman's willpower to keep from laughing. A smile was trying to fight its way onto her face and it was very close to winning.

The principal's face fell since she knew that Shizuru was teasing her. Her eyebrow twitched a couple of times before she felt safe to look the older woman in the eyes. She could see that twinkle in those dark ruby eyes that let her know Shizuru was laughing at her on the inside, laughing long and hard undoubtedly.

"What am I going to do? I'm totally unprepared for this!" Natsuki threw her hands up in the air as if signally that she gave up.

Shizuru shook her head. "Ara ara, Natsuki has been very distracted lately and most of the time it isn't even my fault." She pouted, as if she was saddened by the fact that she was not the one that was taking Natsuki away from such important things.

Natsuki only sighed. She would not say that she was distracted really. She had been catching up on her work. Shizuru had been taking from that as she usually did, but that was not really affecting her work because she planned for it. She was used to Shizuru being around, so she knew how to deal with her lover. The only real distraction came from Takeda.

Takeda called the principal every now and then, continuing to lament about being in the big city. If he was not calling her, he managed to send her letters. She managed to keep the letters from being discovered, not by design, though. She just typically threw the letters out after reading them because she did not see the point in keeping them. Garbage piled up over the disregarded letters, so Shizuru never got a chance to see them.

Shizuru knew about the phone calls, but had not really said anything about them…unless of course her comment on Natsuki being "very distracted lately" counted and even if it did, it went right by Natsuki. By now, almost every time the phone rang in the office, a burning sensation would pool in Shizuru's stomach. It quickly went away as long as Takeda was not the one on the phone. The feeling would build, boil, and fester, sometimes coming to the point where she thought it would eat her alive until Natsuki got off of the phone with him.

"Calm down, Natsuki," Shizuru said, practically floating over to her lover and taking her around the shoulders. "You might've forgotten, but for times like this the Shino blessed you with me," she remarked with a smile.

Natsuki's face knotted up in confusion. "You mean, you remembered?" she asked, sounding almost as if she could not believe it.

"Of course! I've got our clothes picked out and everything. I even wrote you a little speech if they try to catch you by surprise again like last year," the crimson-eyed vixen replied, gently hugging her beloved now to bring Natsuki some comfort and ease away her worry.

Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief, glad to know that she did not have to stress out about the Windbloom annual ball. It was just a social get-together that happened every year to help keep the peace between Windbloom and the friendlier nations of the planet. Natsuki was invited, not just as the principal of Garderobe, but also for her home kingdom since none of her brothers wanted to make the long trip just to be spoken down to by a bunch of snubs; those were almost their exact words, but they tended to swear more. A lot more. Sometimes, Natsuki thought that they made curse words up as they went along.

"What would I do without you?" Natsuki asked Shizuru, which earned a delighted smile from the older Otome.

"Let's hope to never find out," Shizuru replied in a whisper and she nuzzled Natsuki's neck for a second. She inhaled Natsuki's scent for a moment too and felt at ease herself now.

Natsuki nodded in agreement and then her brow wrinkled as a thought struck her. "Um…Shizuru, what outfit did you pick out for this thing?" she asked curiously. She actually looked a little scared; a small line of sweat already started to collect on her forehead.

"You'll see when we go back to the apartment," Shizuru answered, still smiling quite a bit. The smile morphed from being delighted and contented to being slightly devilish.

That reply did not put Natsuki at ease. Shizuru had a habit of picking out inappropriate clothing; well, it was inappropriate in Natsuki's opinion, but Shizuru always thought the attire was cute. Natsuki hoped that she would have time to pick out her own clothing. She also hoped that no one sprang it on her that she needed to make a speech at the ball like last time.

* * *

"This is the thing you want me to wear?!" Natsuki shouted with a dreadful look on her face as she held up the little black dress that Shizuru picked out for her. She probably would have looked less shocked if Shizuru pulled a gun on her.

"I think it would look cute on Natsuki," Shizuru commented as she stood in front of her lover, a hand against her own cheek as if she was in deep thought. She was actually trying to fight off thoughts about Natsuki being in that dress, leading to her imagining do rather lewd things to Natsuki while in the dress. It would not do her any good to have a nosebleed at the moment, so she made sure to lock away the triple-x thoughts for a later time…along with hopes of the thoughts becoming a reality.

"I'm not wearing this!" Natsuki declared as she held up the dress as if it offended her in some way.

The garment in question consisted of spaghetti straps that crossed each other in the back, but the back was still open, and there was a slit up the left side. Roughly estimating, it would probably reach Natsuki's knees, leaving her creamy legs on display with the rest of her milky form. The top would undoubtedly hug Natsuki's torso. When Shizuru picked the dress out, she had almost drooled on it as she thought about her beloved wearing it.

"Since when do I even own a dress like this?!" the principal practically shrieked while waving the dress around as if she was a maniac. It was certainly not something she would ever go and buy on her own. Her emerald gaze narrowed onto her girlfriend, target sighted and locked.

"Ara ara, I thought Natsuki would like a cute dress when I was last out shopping," Shizuru answered, doing her best to look disappointed, even on the inside she was dying of laughter. Her Natsuki was so predictable, but as usual she was going to have her way. Natsuki was going to wear that dress, even if she had to force tears out for it to happen. She just needed to see Natsuki wearing something sexy; it was something that Natsuki would understand if the shoe were on the other foot, so to speak.

"You know I don't wear stuff like this!" Natsuki pointed out while attempting to shove the offending piece of clothing, if it could be called that, back into the closet. She just wanted it out of her sight and then she wanted to forget that she ever saw it in the first place.

"You'll have to, Natsuki. We don't have the time to go out and find something else," Shizuru pointed out, sounding calm and reasonable, even though she was gloating on the inside. Hoho! Score another point for Shizuru…if they were keeping score, which would not be fair at all considering the fact that Shizuru would probably be up a million to zero at that point.

"I've got have something else in here!" Natsuki's face fell into a panic as she rushed through their walk-in closet, hoping and praying to locate an outfit that was suitable for one of the biggest social gatherings of the year.

"Nothing for this, no," Shizuru practically hummed, bouncing on her heels for a few seconds. Oh, she was so happy that she was going to get to see her Natsuki in that little black dress. She could not keep naughty thoughts away now that she knew things were going to go her way. She almost had a nosebleed as she started thinking about peeling Natsuki out of that dress later on in the night. She was blushing from the thought, but luckily, Natsuki was too absorbed in her current plight to notice.

"Shizuru, I've gotta have something else! What about what I wore last year?" Natsuki pled for a solution from the back of the closet. Hangers could be heard clanging against each other and clothing swished as she pushed through things, searching desperately for another outfit.

"I'm sorry, Natsuki, but that outfit was so old. I got rid of it after you wore it," Shizuru answered honestly. She had gotten rid of it also with the hope of going on a shopping spree with Natsuki, but situations arose that prevented that from happening; all the best laid plans of mice, men, and Otome, she thought lightly.

"Shizuru, you can't do this to me!"

"Ara." A finger went to Shizuru's chin as if she was in deep thought. "I don't recall doing anything to Natsuki, except make sure that she doesn't have to go to the ball looking like a hobo."

Natsuki stormed out of the closet, frowning deeply and still holding onto the offending dress. She glared at Shizuru and she seemed very close to shouting a lot of profane words, but thought better of it; after all, they would be there all night if Natsuki went through the list of bad words she knew and would like to use. Instead of cursing, Natsuki mumbled nonsense words under her breath while marching toward the bathroom.

"Would Natsuki like help putting on the gown?" Shizuru inquired and was answered by a loud slamming of the bathroom door. She almost winced from the sound, but there was still an amused smile playing on her lips. She then sighed and dropped her shoulders. "I really wanted to help Natsuki change."

Shizuru supposed that she was just going to have to wait for Natsuki to come out in the dress. Her heart was racing just thinking about it. It was certainly rare for her to see Natsuki in a dress and had been ever since she became the principal. In fact, the only time she got to see Natsuki in a dress was her school uniform and Otome uniform.

"Such a delightful tomboy," Shizuru thought to herself. She liked that side of her beloved, of course, but every now and then, she liked seeing Natsuki in something different.

"Oi, I hope you're out there getting ready too!" Natsuki shouted through the bathroom door.

Shizuru chuckled. "Yes, such a delightful tomboy," she repeated with a smile as she went to change into her own clothes. They were more than likely going to be fashionably late, as they were every year. After all, she was going to have to struggle to put some makeup on Natsuki before they could leave. That was always an adventure; an adventure that Shizuru actually looked forward to.

* * *

Chie happened to glance up and caught a sight that she thought just had to be wrong. She went into the pocket of her suit jacket; yes, she was wearing a suit. She came out in a white suit with a powder blue vest underneath. A rose that matched the vest was in her chest pocket. What she needed was in opposite pocket; her glasses were in that pocket. She quickly put the glasses on, but noticed they did not change the scene before her.

The handsome Otome then had to check and make sure she had on the right glasses, not that she had another pair. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her, she told herself; it was the only way to explain what she was looking at. She then checked to see if maybe there was a crack in her glasses that she did not notice; not that a crack would explain what she was looking at. When all was said and done, she turned to Aoi, who was thankfully going to be by her side all night, to see if she saw the same thing.

Aoi thankfully did not have to wear her uniform that night; she was not officially on-duty. She was wearing a white gown to match Chie's suit. They had been getting all sorts of compliments since they showed up; they had heard "what a cute couple" more times in an hour than they had in years.

"Uh…Aoi…?" Chie could not even get out her question. All she could do was point and she did not even have to do that much because Aoi was staring at the same thing as she was. Aoi was just as confused.

"Is she…?" Aoi stopped to rub her eyes for a second. Surely she was seeing things.

"Maybe it's not her," Chie considered. It was a large crowd at the ball already. Maybe it was just someone that looked like her. That made a lot of sense…well, not really, but at least it was a reasonable explanation.

"True," Aoi agreed, although she was not truly inclined to agree with that. Sure, they were looking from a distance and through a crowd, but they knew her. She had a certain presence to her, as did her companion, and that certainly was her. Chie knew that too, but she had to offer up something to make sense of the sight.

It was good old Haruka Armitage who said what they could not say. She seemed to pop up beside them, cast her eyes in the direction they were looking and easily spot what had their attention. She wasted no time in making a spectacle of the whole matter by pointing and laughing. The sound surprised Chie and Aoi, causing them both to jump and make startled faces, finally taking notice of the blonde next to them.

"The principal looks like a cocktail waitress!" Haruka said without thinking. Where was Yukino-sama to scold her about just shouting things out, Chie wondered with a nervous look on her face. Not that scolding seemed to do anything; hell, Haruka had been reprimanded about coming to the ball in her Otome uniform, but that did not get her to change into something fancy. Hey, Haruka took pride in being an Otome and she felt that nothing was more formal than her uniform.

Thanks to the blonde's big mouth, Natsuki easily heard and turned to see who dared to make fun of her. She actually feared that Nao might be at the party; dear Shinso, she would never live it down if Nao was anywhere around! She was just as embarrassed when she saw it was Haruka laughing at her.

"Shizuru, I'm going to kill you for this," Natsuki promised underneath her breath, a vein in her neck pushing out because of the tension she was currently feeling.

"Why would you do a thing like that? I think Natsuki looks very beautiful," Shizuru commented without hesitation. She smiled as she spoke, of course, but it was a rare sincere smile that she reserved only for her precious Natsuki.

The compliment and smile did not help Natsuki's irritation if the new vein bulging out of her forehead was any clue. Shizuru thought that the black dress looked rather perfect on her lover, highlighting her creamy skin and showing off her curves. To top things off, she had managed to force Natsuki into some nice black heels. Shizuru would dare say that she was with the sexiest woman at the ball.

Shizuru was dressed in a lilac-colored gown. It was sleeveless, but a small jacket came with it, which she was wearing too. The jacket was a plum-color, matching the trim of the dress. It covered half of her torso, so from the back, an on-looker could see hints of Shizuru's back, which the dress did leave on display. Her gown hugged her hips and thighs, but flowed out as it went down her knees and stopped at her ankles. She had on heels too.

Nastuki grumbled something under her breathed, which only made Shizuru smile more. The younger woman wanted to storm away from Shizuru, and Haruka's damn laughing, but she could not really make her getaway in high heels…not if she wanted to avoid falling on her face and causing herself even more problems. She did walk away from Shizuru, who watched her go, smiling all the way through.

"Ara, Natsuki-chan looks quite lovely tonight," a voice commented from behind Shizuru, causing her to whip around. She was face to face with the woman that taught her most of what she knew, such as how to smile like a delighted demon, which the woman certainly was doing.

"Anh-onee-sama," Shizuru greeted the older Otome standing behind her with a bright smile. "I'll thank you not to ogle my Natsuki," she stated in a light tone, but was, of course, dead serious.

Anh pouted, exaggerated for the most part. "That's no fun, especially after you went through all of the trouble of getting her to look so nice. I would be thankful if you at least allowed me to look," she remarked, still smiling.

"Find your own girl to look at, Anh-onee-sama, like you taught me to do," Shizuru replied in the politest voice ever. It made her onee-sama smile even brighter while clasping her hands together as if she was excited.

"Perhaps I'll have my father talk to Natsuki-chan's father and see if we could work out a little 'treaty' between nations," the older woman commented.

Shizuru and Anh went back and forth with each other, having a good time despite the topic of conversation being Anh attempting to steal Natsuki. Natsuki was looking for a corner to hide in before someone else that knew her personally started pointing and laughing. She could already imagine Arika's reaction and she knew that the girl was around there somewhere; after all, she was the Meister Otome for the host of the ball.

"Damn Shizuru and her damned suggestions and, most of all, damn her choices in clothing," Natsuki grumbled ever more fervently while making sure to hug the wall as closely as possible; she wished that she could merge with the wall. Shinso forbid someone notice how low the open back to her dress went.

Natsuki was well aware that she was not going to be able to keep her back to the wall all night, but she was going to do it for as long as possible. She continued on, wanting to find a suitable place to hide, but was thwarted from hiding by accidentally making her way onto an AC vent. The cold air hit her back and she practically jumped away from the wall into the crowd. She bumped into a guest.

"Excuse me," Natsuki apologized without looking up to see whom she nearly mowed down and she was about to go back to her mission until the person she hit stopped her.

"Natsuki-san," Takeda said in a shocked voice, but he was smiling as he noticed her. He was somewhat comfortable talking to her now since they spent a lot of time on the phone together.

"Takeda-san," Natsuki said in an equally shocked tone. She was not expecting him to be there. She really did not feel like talking to him at the moment either, still thinking about her open back and how some pervert might see.

"Wow, you look…stunning," he commented before he knew what he was saying. His chocolate eyes were almost glued to her and he could not turn away. She looked just too amazing.

Natsuki actually blushed from the compliment. She looked away and fiddled with her hands in front of her dress. She managed to look at him again after a couple of seconds.

"Thanks," she grumbled. It did not occur to her to compliment his outfit for the night. Most of the time she thought that seeing one guy in a tuxedo was like seeing them all in one, so she was not impressed by his sharply cut tuxedo.

"Um…would you care to dance?" he asked, trying his best not to sound awkward and he failed miserably. Luckily for him, he typically sounded awkward around her, so she took it as his normal tone of voice.

"Uh…" She glanced away again. She did not want to be rude; damn those manners drilled into her head when she was younger! Damn the manners for being reinforced when she went to Garderobe as a student! "I guess…" she muttered, eyes still focused away.

Takeda smiled and took Natsuki by the hand. He practically dragged her out onto the dance floor while she had to be careful of keeping her balance on the damnable high heels Shizuru forced her into; she had no idea that the threat of no sex for a week worked on her just as well as it worked on Shizuru, until Shizuru used it on her anyway. Natsuki had to right herself when Takeda suddenly stopped.

For a moment, the pair had a mix up as they tried to get themselves together to dance. Natsuki, used to dancing with Shizuru, was also used to leading. Takeda was accustomed to leading and in the end, Natsuki yielded to him as she recalled that when dancing with a man, he was supposed to lead. It felt odd for a few moments, but she slowly got used to it.

It took them a couple of minutes to actually get comfortable dancing with each other. When they started out, his hand was barely touching her hip and she really did not seem to want to hold onto him, but as the music played, they pressed on. Their hands settled down to where they were supposed to be and they glided with the music. A few heads even turned to look at them.

"Hey, bubuzuke woman, looks like you lost something," Haruka commented as she stepped over to Shizuru, who was still speaking to Anh.

"Lost something?" Shizuru echoed in a slightly confused voice. What nonsense was Haruka talking now?

"Over there." Haruka pointed to the scene that currently had several people's attention.

Shizuru turned to look as did Anh. They both managed to keep control of themselves when they saw Natsuki dancing with Takeda. They noted that Natsuki did not look upset as she usually did when she had to dance with anyone that was not Shizuru. They did flinch a bit when they saw his hand on her hip and his fingers pressing against her bare back and she was actually not tearing him apart for it.

"Ara ara," was the only words that came from the brunettes and it was Anh that uttered the statement. Shizuru was speechless.

* * *

Next time: Shizuru's reaction to Natsuki dancing with Takeda.


	9. Something new

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

Rating goes up thanks to this chapter.

9: Something new

Shizuru felt the strangest sensation flutter in her chest, building into a tight pressure, almost as if it threatened to break her ribs. Her stomach twisted into tight knots, her guts seemed to wring into each other, and it felt like she was going throw up. Acid seemed to splash in her throat, adding to the feeling that she was about to vomit. She thankfully held the sick feeling in.

The elegant Otome was not sure what the horrid feeling was, but she was almost certain that it was caused by what she was looking at. Her Natsuki was dancing with some man; the man was actually Takeda, but Shizuru did not know what he looked like. If her tension building within her meant anything, he probably was going to wish that she never found out what he looked like.

The problem with Natsuki dancing with him, aside for the fact that he was clearly not Shizuru, was that he was _touching_ her Natsuki. Sure, he only had his fingers on her back, but that was way more than anyone had ever been allowed to touch Natsuki, except for Shizuru anyway. Shizuru frowned deeply; she picked that dress for her delight and her delight only, so he needed to get his fingers off of Natsuki's back.

"So, bubuzuke woman, can't even keep your woman under control either, huh?" Haruka remarked, actually nudging Shizuru in the side with her elbow. The blonde was smirking, mostly because she did not totally grasp the seriousness of the situation and Yukino was nowhere in sight at the ball to control the madwoman that was Haruka.

"Natsuki is allowed to dance with people," Shizuru replied, sounding as close to normal as she was going to get for the moment. Her gaze stayed locked on her beloved and those intruding fingers on her creamy, smooth skin. She did not lose them, even when they moved into a more crowded section of the dance floor. It was almost as if she was trying to make him burst into flames with her molten crimson gaze.

"Since when?" Anh asked curiously, her voice close to laughing. She was still standing with Shizuru and her eyes were locked on the same thing as Shizuru. She thought it was too adorable to see Shizuru in such a state. Obviously, she did not know the full severity of the whole situation; if she did, she might have the decency to tell Takeda to run…or she might have just left him to his fate. She could understand Shizuru's feelings, after all.

"It is only dancing," Shizuru stated, sounding quite believable. She waved it off with her right hand to further make it seem as if she did not have a problem with it and tried her best to turn her attention back to her onee-sama.

Anh politely put up with Shizuru's pretense of being interested in conversing with her. She did, however, notice that those ruby eyes seemed to follow Natsuki around the room, even though they did not leave her face. Even when Natsuki was out of view for both of them, Anh could still tell that Shizuru was somehow tracking the younger woman. It was amusing to watch.

* * *

Shizuru was not the only person to notice Natsuki dancing with Takeda. Arika saw her, and she was going to ask the Garderobe principal about it, but after about ten minutes with Natsuki still twirling around the dance floor, the young Otome decided to go find someone that might know what was going on. She spotted Chie with Aoi and thought that they were as good a source as any.

The auburn-haired teenager practically ran over to the other Otome. Arika had grown a bit, but she still was not quite Chie's height, so she had to look up to older woman with big, curious eyes. Chie and Aoi only had a brief moment to regard Arika before she started talking. Chie was about to compliment Akira on her gown, a simple yellow dress that looked rather good on the shapely teen, but Akira started talking before Chie could open her mouth.

"Oi, Chie-san, Aoi-san, do you know what the headmaster is doing?" Arika inquired curiously with a near innocent expression on her face. Her eyebrows were curled upward, showing her confusion. She figured once she got an answer to her first question, she would then ask just what in the world the principal wearing; she knew that Shizuru-onee-sama had something to do with that outfit.

Thankfully, Arika had developed a small amount of self-control and manners, so she did not scream her question at the top of her lungs. The last thing that they needed was to get on Natsuki's bad side. Despite the fact that Nao would like everyone to believe that the principal was a tame little pup, Chie was quite aware that that pup had sharp teeth; it just took the right motivation to bring the teeth out.

"We're convinced that's actually a clone of the principal," Chie remarked with a small, amused smile; it was a poorly made clone in her opinion. She was not wearing her glasses right now because after she saw Natsuki dancing with Takeda, she was certain that she needed a stronger pair. She just could not believe what she was seeing was true; something just had to be wrong with her eyes.

"Clone?" Arika echoed, putting a finger to her chin as she started to contemplate what the older Otome might mean by that. Her face scrunched up slightly as she began to think deeply on the subject.

"Don't tell her that," Aoi scolded Chie. She knew that Arika might take the words to heart and the last thing they needed right now was for Arika to have a weird idea in her head. After all, they were probably going to need all the help they could get when Shizuru inevitably got her hands wrapped around Takeda's neck for touching Natsuki. They probably would not be able to get Shizuru off of him with the jaws of life if she got her hands on him.

"Well, how would _you_ explain her being with someone that's clearly not Shizuru-san, and looking like she's enjoying herself?" Chie countered, sounding almost smug, but she was still too confused to really gloat over things.

Chie doubted that she had ever seen Natsuki voluntarily interact with anybody that was not Shizuru, or more recently Mai, unless it was absolutely necessary. To top things off, the headmaster of Garderobe did not look irked as she usually would when having to put up with someone else's presence; she actually looked like she was having a good time, nearly smiling and everything. No, no, no, Chie convinced herself; that had to be a clone, a poorly crafted clone at that.

Aoi did not have a reasonable explanation for what the so-openly-antisocial principal was doing with Takeda. She did have quite a few semi-logical excuses for why Natsuki might be with Takeda. They all stemmed from the fact that she did not know who Takeda was.

"Perhaps he's a dignitary from a nation that the principal would like to start relations with," Aoi offered in a steady voice, even though that did not explain why Natsuki did not look annoyed with having to deal with him.

A sly look painted Chie's features from her chocolate-haired woman's choice of words. "I'm sure he's looking for relations all right," she remarked, earning a glare from her girlfriend and a puzzled look from Arika.

"Chie," Aoi reprimanded the taller woman. The last thing she needed was for Arika to have some weird idea in her head; she had to live with the girl, after all. Arika would follow her around the castle, begging for an explanation if things kept up as they were.

"I don't understand," Arika admitted. Somewhere in there, she knew that she was missing something, but she could not put her finger on what was going over her head. She considered that she might ask Aoi later; she seemed to comprehend things enough to scold the older Otome after all.

Chie sighed, glancing away for a moment. She had to put on her serious face before turning back to her audience. "Don't worry about it. The principal is probably just doing it as a favor or for the reason Aoi said. It's probably nothing serious," she tried to assure the younger Otome in a calm tone.

Arika nodded, showing her acceptance of that response. Her bewildered expression remained, though. "Um…what about her clothes, though?"

Chie just threw her hands up in defeat; she could not even speculate on that one. She imagined poor Natsuki being tied down while Shizuru somehow forced the rather sexy black dress on her; yes, it was sexy, but it was not something that Natsuki would wear and _everyone_ knew that. They could only wonder what powers Shizuru exercised to get Natsuki into the gown.

"Maybe I'll ask Shizuru-san her secret. I'd love to see you in something like that," Aoi said to Chie, who gulped. Damn it, Natsuki, she thought; Natsuki made things bad for everyone by being such a pushover.

* * *

Shizuru decided to make her way through the crowd after watching Natsuki glide around the dance floor for almost thirty minutes. She was not sure why she was going over to Natsuki, but she instinctively knew that it would make the pain in her stomach go away if she had Natsuki by her side and not with that man, whose fingers were still on _her_ Natsuki's back. She could not help wondering why Natsuki did not move his hand to the side, so he was at least not touching her skin.

"Ara, Natsuki, I see you've made a new friend," Shizuru said with a smile so brightly it was a shock that she did not blind everyone standing in front of her. She came up behind her girlfriend, knowing that sort of reaction she would get.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki kind of squeaked in surprise while tensing up for a second. Damn Shizuru's ability to sneak up on her like some snake approaching a mouse!

"Oh, so this is Shizuru-san," Takeda commented as he turned his eyes away from Natsuki to look at Shizuru, who was still smiling wide and strong. He bowed politely to her. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"I see my reputation precedes me," Shizuru remarked, smile still in place, even though there was a dangerous glint in her blood-colored eyes.

"Natsuki-san speaks highly of you," he informed her.

Shizuru was a bit startled by his almost informal demeanor with her beloved, but she did not outwardly react to it. She was not sure of the last time that she heard someone called Natsuki by her name since she became the headmaster of Garderobe. She managed to keep her smile on her face, but she could not help wondering who the man was.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Takeda Masashi," he introduced himself. He offered her his hand, the hand that was occupied with Natsuki's hand. The other hand stayed planted on the principal's back.

"Oh, you're _my_ Natsuki's little friend," Shizuru said. She was close to splitting her cheeks open because of how hard she was forcing out her smile.

Takeda laughed a little bit; the trained ear of the Graceful Amethyst knew it was an uncomfortable sound. _Yes_, Shizuru declared in her head and in her gaze, Natsuki was hers. _Take that!_

"I suppose I am," Takeda replied in a nervous tone about being Natsuki's "little friend." He had to admit, the way that Shizuru put it made things sound quite childish, which was her intent. He wondered what she meant by "her Natsuki" also. He had heard things about the Otomes, but he did not think that Natsuki fell under that rumor. He could hardly believe that rumor was true; as far as he knew, no one did things like _that_.

"Um…Shizuru, is something wrong?" Natsuki asked curiously because she could feel an almost poisonous air radiating from her lover.

Takeda could feel it too and wanted to run away before it killed them all. The aura coming from Shizuru seemed as tense as she was and seemed to cause a pressure that could have possibly leveled the castle. Aside for the pressure, the sensation seemed toxic, as if it would dissolve anything in its path.

"Of course nothing is wrong, Natsuki," Shizuru replied in a light tone while attaching herself to Natsuki's free arm. She almost sighed in relief when she was touching Natsuki. She also noticed Takeda when he glanced at her interlocking her arms around Natsuki's and her eyes seemed to boast that Natsuki was all hers; he could not and would not have her.

"Um…then how come you're on my arm?" Natsuki inquired in a clueless fashion, her face scrunched up in confusion. If everything was all right, then why was Shizuru not letting her dance while Shizuru mingled, as she typically did at parties and gatherings?

"Is it wrong to be close to my Natsuki?" Shizuru countered, almost purring there. She was quite contented now that her love was in her grip and she had no plans of letting the younger woman go.

"Well, no, but it's gonna make it pretty hard to dance with Takeda if you're on my arm like this," the raven-haired Otome pointed out the obvious.

Shizuru's brain commented that that was the exact point. She did not want her Natsuki dancing with him anymore; it was bad enough that Natsuki spent so much time on the phone with him as it was. She knew that the sooner she got Natsuki away from him, the sooner the discomforting burning in her belly would go out.

"I'm sorry, Natsuki, but Mashiro-sama wants a word with you," Shizuru easily lied.

"Oh, Shinso, I hope it's not for another speech," Natsuki groaned, falling limp against her girlfriend. She then turned her attention to Takeda. "If I don't get a chance to see you again tonight, call me," she informed him.

It felt like lightning struck Shizuru at that very moment and burned its way from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. Her Natsuki was inviting some man to call her?! Right in front of her to make matters worse?! Before completely losing it, Shizuru had to calm herself down, reminding herself that Natsuki was just friends with Takeda. That was all, nothing more. Natsuki was just friends and Natsuki was still hers.

"I'll be sure to do that, Natsuki-san," Takeda replied with a grin, happy to hear such an invitation. He looked like he was ready to float off into the air due to his joy.

Shizuru then pulled Natsuki away from the man that she now decided was a worm. The rest of the ball, Shizuru made sure to keep Natsuki away from Takeda. It was a noticed effort by almost every Otome there, except for Natsuki anyway; she was still dreading that she might have to make a speech. All of the other Otome thought that Natsuki was dreading the wrong thing; surely Shizuru's wrath when they got home was something much more frightening than any surprise speech could ever be, especially if the evil glint in those blood-colored eyes meant anything!

"Should we say our goodbyes to our brave principal? After all, we might never see her again…not alive anyway," Chie remarked as the evening started to wrap up. She was speaking to Aoi, Haruka, Anh, and Arika.

"What do you mean?" Arika asked in a puzzled voice while scratching her head.

"It means the principal's as good as dead," Haruka answered bluntly. Boy, she certainly would hate to be in Natsuki's shoes right now.

"Why?" Arika inquired, so clueless that it was cute. Anh could not help bending down and embracing the smaller female, which got a startled reaction from Arika. She was actually still a little scared from being assaulted by the drunken princess when they were in the baths a couple of years ago.

"The same reason Mashiro-sama would be upset to see you in your current predicament," Aoi said with an amused smile.

"Is Mashiro around?" Arika asked in a panicked voice as she pulled away from Anh…or at least tried to. She wailed and flailed her arms, but Anh was not giving any ground.

"You are just too cute," Anh remarked with a purr that transformed into a delighted smile. She then turned her attention to her former charge, who was leading Natsuki out of the palace hall. She merely shook her head; a jealous Shizuru was certainly a new and funny creature when it came to Natsuki. "I haven't seen her like this in so long," Anh commented under her breath. Well, no, she had actually never seen Shizuru quite like she was at the moment; this was something new.

* * *

"Oi, Shizuru, could you stop crushing my arm, please?" Natsuki requested for about the fiftieth time that night. Shizuru had a death grip on the limb, and had had it ever since tugging her away from Takeda. She was starting to lose feeling in her forearm thanks to that the grasp that the older woman had on her.

"Ara ara, forgive me, Natsuki. I wasn't aware," Shizuru apologized as they made it into the car.

"Wasn't aware?" The Second Column blinked hard from that response. She had only been griping about it all night!

Shizuru did not respond to that. She was noting that her heart rate was finally returning to normal. Her stomach and throat were clearing up from the irritation that she had been feeling through out the night, even though she had Natsuki on her arm and it was clear to all just who the principal belonged to. She breathed a sigh of relief and thanks to be feeling as she usually did now.

But, something still felt off to Shizuru. She glanced over at Natsuki, still looking gorgeous in her little black dress. She realized that she had not really gotten the chance to appreciate Natsuki in the gown as she had planned. Instead, she had spent the night making sure that worm Takeda stayed away from her lover. She had spent the night trying to fight down a horrible feeling and stressing over something that she was almost certain was not an issue.

"Na-tsu-ki," Shizuru hummed the name in manner that earned her a suspicious sidelong glance from her girlfriend. She smiled; it was a demonic smile that was reserved for her lover to let the younger woman know that naughty things were on her mind.

"No, not in the car!" Natsuki protested, inching away from the insatiable woman that she was in love with. She held up her hands, objecting to the idea that she knew was in her lover's head and attempting to keep the older Otome at bay.

"Please." A pout was now in place that was expected to get Natsuki to give in without physical persuasion.

"No! The driver," Natsuki hissed while nodding to the front of the car.

"Easily taken care of," Shizuru pointed out and she hit a button that raised a barrier between the backseat and the driver's seat. She went back to smiling as she moved closer to Natsuki, mouth dangerously close to the soft lips of the principal.

"That's not a proper solution!" Natsuki objected, even though she knew that she had already lost this battle. When the hell was the last time she won anything against Shizuru?!

"It is the perfect solution," Shizuru insisted in a whisper while placing a hand on Natsuki's slim thigh. She ran her fingers up and down the leg in her grip, enjoying the feel of the dress and her lover against her hand. She slowly leaned in for a kiss.

The kiss was surprisingly hard and Natsuki whimpered when Shizuru's mouth practically conquered hers, a demanding tongue parting her lips, invading her mouth, and pushing her own tongue into a submission. The kiss screamed something possessive and almost primal: _MINE!_ Natsuki was hers, Shizuru mentally insisted, and no one else could have her.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki whimpered through deep breaths as Shizuru pulled away, a thin line of saliva still connecting their mouths.

Shizuru did not seem to notice that her name was spoken. Her eyes focused, pretty much locked, onto her girlfriend. Her pupils were dilated, taking up much of her eye; it was almost as if she was high. Natsuki was not too sure what to make of the expression; she was pretty sure that she had never seen Shizuru look like that before. She was ready to gulp and say a quick prayer because it seemed as if the usually cheerful woman might be planning to eat her alive…and not in a pleasant manner.

"_I_ _need_ _Natsuki_ _now_," Shizuru stated soundly, almost dangerously. It was not a tone that her lover could argue with; hey, even Natsuki knew a lost battle when she saw one. Some things were worth a try and some things…well, trying was a waste of time, especially when she did not mind when Shizuru led her to naughty places.

Shizuru's wandering hand found its way inside of Natsuki's dress while her mouth went back to claiming her beloved yet again. The busy hand went right to the center of Natsuki, not bothering to sample any of the fine skin of her leg along the way as she typically would. Natsuki yelped from surprise that shifted into a moan easily when she felt Shizuru's fingers probing forcefully at her thinly covered core.

Natsuki cried out into Shizuru's dominating mouth as those demanding fingers bypassed the thong she put on; she could not have on a dress and have panty lines showing, now could she? Shizuru had to groan when she felt the slickness and heat against her hand and felt Natsuki's screams of pleasure in her throat.

"Mine!" Shizuru's brain cried out. She was the only one that could make Natsuki feel so good. She was the only one that could touch Natsuki in such a way.

Shizuru's mind staked her claim again as she felt Natsuki moving against her hand. She made sure to keep her mouth on Natsuki's, swallowing down all of those delightful moans, knowing that Natsuki would hate for the driver to hear her cries. Her free hand moved to caress Natsuki's breast.

The hand on Natsuki's chest was much like Shizuru's mouth and other hand. The attack was swift and heavy. The caress rapidly changed into outright groping, complete with squeezing and kneading. Natsuki moaned desperately into her lover's mouth as she shifted to feel more of Shizuru. Natsuki responding so eagerly only made Shizuru want more.

At first, Shizuru thought it would be enough to fondle Natsuki with the dress in the way, but quickly found that was not the case. She needed more and shamelessly shoved her hand down the front of Natsuki's dress. The principal did not object, only screaming in pleasure, which pretty much caressed Shizuru's throat. Natsuki threw her arms around Shizuru, holding the older Otome to her.

Natsuki clung to Shizuru, her body begging for more attention from the older woman. Shizuru would have been all too happy to provide Natsuki with what she desired, unfortunately the ride was not long enough for them to accomplish their main goal. It did not matter anyway; Shizuru never left a task halfway done. Besides, she had plans to see Natsuki in that dress, modeling it for her, before she peeled the emerald-eyed woman out of it.

When they got to their apartment, Natsuki tried to continue where they left off in the car, but Shizuru stopped her, which surprised her for just a moment. She knew what was going on when Shizuru stepped away from her and just stared at her; Shizuru was admiring the dress. She stood still for the older woman for a moment.

"You look stunning," Shizuru breathed. All the stares at the ball confirmed that for her, but it still needed to be said.

Natsuki blushed. "Thanks…" she muttered. She would rather be out of the damned thing, even if it was getting such a passionate reaction from Shizuru. She did have a feeling that she would not be wearing it for too much longer, though.

"But, you, of course, look even better without it," the elder remarked with a smirk.

Natsuki only had time to blush deeper before Shizuru attacked. Natsuki was not sure how, but she was naked in about a second; she was starting to think that Shizuru might actually be some kind of witch with how quickly she always managed to undress Natsuki. Shizuru was naked just as quickly and was pressing Natsuki into their bed.

They shared a breathtaking kiss. Shizuru was the first to pull away. She looked down at her Natsuki, those jade eyes glazed over with the pleasure that only Shizuru could deliver. Shizuru leaned down close to Natsuki's ear and she rubbed her body against Natsuki's wanting form.

"Say you're mine," Shizuru requested in a whisper. It almost came out like a demand, but she needed to hear it and she needed to hear it now.

The words shocked Natsuki, though; they seemed rather out of the blue. She locked eyes with Shizuru and a gentle smile overtook her face; it was an expression that only Shizuru ever witnessed. The smile was enough to answer the question, but words quickly followed it.

"Of course I'm yours," Natsuki replied as if it was simplest thing she would ever say. She was silent for a moment. "And you're mine, right?" she asked just to be sure since Shizuru was being slightly weird in her opinion.

Shizuru looked almost confused by the question for a second. "Of course I am all Natsuki's."

With that, they shared another kiss while their hands started roaming each other's bodies with fervor. Their bodies began to move as one and the room was filled with passionate moans as their mingled musk replaced the still smell in the air. Of course they possessed each other; their bodies seemed to confirm that. The connection that they felt as they loved each other told them what they already knew; they belonged to each other.

* * *

Next time: this is not the last we've seen of Takeda. Natsuki almost mows him down with her bike while Shizuru has to deal with quite the troubling sight.


	10. Good times and bad

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

10: Good times and bad

Shizuru was smiling in her sleep. Last night was simply incredible and it put a delighted smile on her face for the whole night. She appeared quite peaceful and satisfied with Natsuki curled up against her. Natsuki had an arm wrapped around Shizuru, who also had an arm wrapped around Natsuki. Their legs were intertwined with each other, but covered by the dark blue blanket that barely hid them from the view of the walls in their room.

Natsuki's expression seemed different, yet similar. She also appeared to be at peace, like for once in a long time everything was all right. She had her head on Shizuru's shoulder, her mouth slightly open. Every now and then, a light snore came from Natsuki; a sure sign that she was sleeping very well.

Even the air around the apartment seemed peaceful. Remnants of last night hung around, coating the room, hugging the occupants. The thin beams of sunlight merely seemed to join in rather than intrude.

As usual, Shizuru stirred first. Her face twitched and then her mouth fell into a frown. She was a bit upset to actually wake up as she realized that she was no longer locked in her fantasy. She had been having quite the good sleep with even better dreams. But, as she glanced down to see her sleeping lover, she decided that reality was better and she was glad to be awake, so she could stare at her beloved.

The tawny-haired Otome began smiling again as she lightly ran her fingers across her lover's bare, smooth back. She made sure the pressure was not enough to disturb Natsuki's sleep, but it was enough for her to keep smiling. She contemplated waking Natsuki up in her usual manner, but in the end, she decided against it.

"Natsuki's earned her sleep for today," Shizuru commented in her head. Yes, her love had certainly earned her sleep considering some of the things that she did last night. "Ara, ara, it was enough to make even me blush…" A rose pink hue did rise to her cheeks for just a moment as she thought about last night.

Of course, she sort of egged Natsuki on considering the things that she did. She was not too sure what came over her last night. All she knew was that there was a fire burning inside of her and it was not the typical passionate lust that she held for her Natsuki. No, there was something more to it than that and she was not sure what it was. All she knew was that to appease the blaze in her heart, she needed to mark Natsuki, claim Natsuki, and make sure that Natsuki knew exactly whom she belonged to. She was pretty sure her mission was accomplished last night.

She doubted that Natsuki noticed the change. She recalled that she had been quite rough and direct, but she could be that way on occasion, so it was not really that suspicious. She did not want Natsuki to think that there was something wrong with her, especially since she was trying to convince herself that there was nothing wrong with her.

The fire that haunted and burned Shizuru was gone. She felt at peace, like she typically did when Natsuki was with her. She felt like everything was right in her world, even though Natsuki was slightly drooling on her now. The older woman actually just smiled more as she realized that her love was dripping spit on her shoulder.

"I wonder what came over me last night," Shizuru muttered to herself. She was not sure what that fire was, but she was a bit glad it was gone.

The burning actually had not felt good like her lust usually did. The only reason that she even compared it to her lust was because of what happened last night. But, the burning was nowhere near pleasant and she would rather it never return. Sure, it made her do all sorts of delightfully naughty things to her Natsuki, but it was not really something that she was able to enjoy completely. All she kept thinking about last night was marking Natsuki as hers, not focusing on the pleasure of simply being with her beloved.

She glanced down at Natsuki and could see that she had done a good job at marking the principal. Nastuki's pale skin was covered in deep crimson marks. Some of them were bite marks, some of them were hickies, and there were even a few scratches. She hoped that Natsuki was not in any pain when she woke up, not that she looked like she was in pain right now.

The ruby-eyed female felt a bit guilty for a while as she inspected the marks. Yes, she had left a few marks here and there occasionally during particularly wild nights with her girlfriend, but nothing as extreme as she was currently focusing on. Besides, it was almost like she could not control herself last night; all thanks to that damned burning sensation.

She did not want to think about that bubbling burning that seemed to scorch her belly, but it was hard not to as her eyes followed the marks that she left on her lover. She gently caressed her sleeping love, as if she was trying to ease away discomfort in Natsuki from the marks, even though Natsuki did not appear to be in any pain. Still, the guilt-ridden woman continued to caress the principal.

Shizuru glanced at the clock after a while and saw that it was close to time for Natsuki to get up. She did have work, after all. Oh, but Natsuki looked so cute and they were both so comfortable. She really did not want their state of bliss to end any time soon, but it would have to.

If they did not get up, Miss Maria or Youko would actually come to the apartment and knock until there was an answer. If Natsuki called in sick, it would be even worse; well, it would be worse for Natsuki anyway. She would be harassed about symptoms and then teased about her sickness being "Shizuru-itis" or something of the kind. Natsuki hated going through that, which of course both Miss Maria and Youko knew; that was why they did it, after all. It guaranteed that Natsuki always came to work.

"Natsuki-chan," Shizuru practically cooed as she began to rub the younger Otome with a little more pressure than before.

Natsuki groaned in her sleep and clutched onto her lover tighter, but she did not wake up. Shizuru chuckled a bit and continued on, trying to wake Natsuki in a gentle manner. The principal made a few more sounds, cling to Shizuru, and kept her eyes closed tight.

"Natsuki, as much as I enjoy having you attached to me in such a loving manner, you do have work this morning," Shizuru commented, speaking at her usual volume with the hope that it would get her girlfriend up from her slumber.

Those words did not reach Natsuki's brain. She remained knocked out, curled into her love and still drooling a little. Shizuru sighed; she was going to have to be mean apparently. Well, it was for the greater good, so she supposed that made it a little better.

"Ara, is that Miss Maria at the door?" Shizuru said with pretend shock.

Natsuki was up like a shot. "Miss Maria?! I was just getting ready!" she shouted with a panicked expression as she leaped out of the bed.

Shizuru giggled as Natsuki made a mad dash toward the bathroom, butt-naked to add to the already humorous scene, to take a shower and get ready for work. The older woman was going to get up and join Natsuki, but she knew that her presence would only make Natsuki late for work. Such a thing ran the risk of Miss Maria actually being at the door after a while.

Instead, she got up and laid out Natsuki's clothing for her. She examined the attire before placing it down; she wanted to see if it required ironing. She did have to Natsuki's precious blue jacket. Natsuki rarely thought to iron things and would go out in wrinkled clothing all the time if it was not for Shizuru.

Once she was done ironing, she checked the kitchen to see if they had anything that she could make Natsuki for breakfast. She made sure to put on a short lavender robe to avoid tempting her beloved when she got out of the shower before leaving the bedroom. She then went on her search for breakfast foods, wanting to make sure that her lover left on a full stomach because Natsuki typically had better days when she ate breakfast.

Shizuru usually made breakfast almost everyday, but especially on days when it seemed like Natsuki might be late. She would rather Natsuki leave with food in her belly because being full did help mellow Natsuki out. She did not think that it was healthy for Natsuki to stress so early in the morning.

"Oh, man! I am so gonna be late!" Natsuki could be heard panicking in the bedroom. There were a lot of crashing noises and swear words as well as threats on inanimate objects coming from in the room also.

Shizuru chuckled while working and listening to her lover. A few minutes later, Natsuki charged out of the bedroom, shirt half-buttoned, and jacket hanging sloppily off of her shoulders. In such a state, Natsuki still tried to walk out of the door, but Shizuru stopped her.

"Ara, my dear Natsuki is looking to give everyone a show?" Shizuru remarked as she approached her beloved and fixed the buttons on Natsuki shirt, not to mention the button on her pants. She straightened out Natsuki's clothes, the jacket included.

"Uh… thanks…" Natsuki blushed from embarrassment. Really, what would she do without Shizuru sometimes?

"I am here to assist Natsuki, after all. Now, take breakfast," Shizuru ordered while passing the younger woman a bagel with a fried egg on top.

"Thanks," Natsuki said while taking the food and she was about to run off, but she was stopped once again.

"Na-tsu-ki," Shizuru hummed the name.

"Eh?" The principal craned an eyebrow, not sure why she was being halted this time. She turned around, breakfast in one hand, the door knob in the other.

"My kiss?" Shizuru requested with a pout.

"Oh, right!" The principal actually slapped herself lightly in the forehead for forgetting such a thing.

Natsuki gave Shizuru a quick peck on the mouth, which was good enough for the older Otome. After that, Natsuki was off like a shot to avoid being late; the last thing she needed was to put up with Miss Maria. She did not know, but it would be even worse if she got busted that day because she had a huge hickey on her neck. Luckily for her, Shizuru had the presence of mind to close her jacket for her or she would have been displaying more maroon marks on her body than just the large love bite on her neck.

"Ara, Natsuki seems so much like a rushing husband in the morning," Shizuru remarked with an amused smile, just to tickle herself. She then decided that she needed to get ready for her day too.

* * *

Natsuki yawned, stretching out her arms as far as they could go and flexing her hands too to relieve them of any knots. She glanced at the clock and smiled as she realized that it was almost tea time. She could use a break from her work and she was in a very good mood, so she knew that seeing Shizuru would only help that. She felt like she might even be able to take some teasing with a smile on her face.

Before Shizuru came in with their usual tea, the phone rang. She answered it, figuring that since she was in such a good mood, she would not be annoyed with the call, even if the call was not for business reasons. She even sounded polite when she answered, not even using her forced business-like tone that she generally used when answering the phone.

"Garderobe, Principal Kruger speaking."

"Natsuki-san," Takeda replied, sounding quite happy.

"Takeda-san. How're you doing?"

"I'm fine. Just finishing up some work and I remembered your invitation to call you. I was wondering if you're free this afternoon and maybe we could get together again," he suggested, sounding quite hopeful and delighted. He was happy over the fact that he had worked up the courage to call her and to ask her out for the afternoon.

She made a face, scrunching up her mouth. "Well…I dunno. I usually spend my afternoons with Shizuru."

"Oh…" he sounded quite disappointed. He really had little desire to be within a hundred yards of Shizuru again. She frightened him, a lot actually, and his soul was still quivering from just meeting her last night. "Well, maybe some other time when you're free…" he proposed in a slightly low tone.

Before Natsuki could answer, the door opened and Shizuru came in. Natsuki smiled rather brightly at her lover, who smiled softly in return while bringing in their usual tea. She shut the door behind her while Natsuki turned her attention back to her phone call.

"I guess we could do it some time when I'm free. I'll call you and let you know, okay?" the principal asked her friend.

"Sounds good."

"Okay, well, I've got to go, Takeda-san."

The sound of the name made Shizuru flinch slightly and her smile faltered for a brief moment. By the time Natsuki hung up the phone, her smile was back in place, but it was certainly forced. The fire that had been so satisfied and put out last night relit in her belly, blazing hotter than before because it sounded like Natsuki just agreed to get together with Takeda. The fire made her heart beat rapidly, as if it planned on exploding sometime soon. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the blaze devoured all of her insides, so she tried to force it away. It merely burned more intensely, as if trying to put the sun to shame.

"Hey, Shizuru, I've been waiting for you," Natsuki said, still smiling so brightly that her words were obviously true, which doused the fire in Shizuru a little, but certainly not enough.

"Waiting for me to do what? Was my Natsuki thinking naughty things?" Shizuru inquired, teasing smile in place, even though on the inside she really wanted to know what Natsuki was doing on the phone with Takeda. The teasing kept her from making such an inquiry, though. She wanted to be normal; she wanted things inside of her to be nomal.

Natsuki turned her nose up at her love. "I…idiot," she muttered.

Shizuru was a little disappointed by that response; there was no blush to go along with it. She almost pouted, but caught herself. Her smile stayed in place while her mouth jumped out ahead of brain, asking questions that she really did not want to even admit were on her mind. After all, Natsuki was hers and she did not need to worry.

"Natsuki was speaking with Takeda-san again. What did Natsuki discuss this time with her friend?" Shizuru inquired in a pleasant tone while pouring the tea. Her grip on the cup was near-shattering and the handle was hanging on by a hope and a prayer. So much for being normal.

"Nothing really. He wanted to do something this afternoon, but I told him I was hanging out with you," Natsuki answered honestly.

_Ha, take that!_ Shizuru's mind declared. Natsuki was hers and Natsuki was staying with her. Natsuki was hers!

Shizuru celebrated in her head for all of two seconds before that fire roared within her, feeling like it scorched all of her organs. She realized that Natsuki said that she would spend time with him some other time and that she would call him. That certainly would not do.

"I'm glad that Natsuki decided to spend time with me instead of going on a date with Takeda," Shizuru remarked. The teasing came too easily, too naturally. It seemed like the only thing that she could do because she did not want to just tell Natsuki not to see him. Natsuki could have friends, after all.

"What?! I'm not dating him!" Natsuki said, throwing her hands up in a panic. It was a good thing she was not sipping her tea or she would have spit it all in Shizuru's smiling face.

"But, Natsuki is always on the phone with him. And not to long ago, Natsuki was saying she was sick of being an Otome. Takeda-san can fix that, right?" Shizuru asked with such innocence in her voice that she should have been ashamed of herself.

It was teasing, Shizuru mentally insisted for the simple fact that a small voice in the back of her head was telling her, she was really scared that could happen. She never got scared, she reminded herself; not to mention, Natsuki was hers. That big red mark on Natsuki's neck told the world that she was Shizuru's.

Natsuki nearly fell out of her chair from those words. She had to stand up to catch herself. She looked so indignant that Shizuru could not help thinking it was cute, but there was still that almost violent swirling inside of her soul that prevented her from enjoying how adorable her lover appeared.

"I'm not always on the phone with him, and I got over that crap about being tired of being an Otome!" Natsuki declared. In the back of her mind, she was reminding herself that she was playing Shizuru's little game, getting worked up over teasing. She tried to calm down because, for once, she wanted to come out of the thing unscathed. Well, less scathed than she already was.

Shizuru giggled. "Natsuki is so hotheaded some times."

Natsuki frowned; apparently, the battle was already over and she had lost once again. Score—Shizuru: infinite, Natsuki: subzero. She sighed and flopped back into her seat while Shizuru gave her the cup of tea. Shizuru also patted Natsuki on the head and kissed her temple, which caused Natsuki to sigh again. There was a small smile on the principal's face, though, which seemed to help ease the fire blazing inside of Shizuru.

--(New day)

Natsuki sighed, her shoulders slumped, and she pouted. Her good mood for the past few days was gone because Shizuru was gone. The third Column was off to investigate some strange occasions and Natsuki was not sure how long she would be away. Shizuru left that morning and Natsuki was already bored.

The principal had surprisingly breezed through her work; well, it was not really a surprise considering the fact that her chief distraction was gone, but that was a distraction she rarely genuinely minded. So, she really did not have anything to do for the rest of the day. She supposed it would have been nice for her to do that one day when Shizuru was around because they would have been able to go for a bike ride. But, even without Shizuru, she figured that she could go for a nice bike ride. It would help relax her and keep her from missing Shizuru, at least for a little while.

She wasted no time rushing out to her motorcycle. She mounted the bike with a smile and rushed off down the road. She did not know where she was going and she did not care. All she knew was that she had time to do the one hobby that she had. She was going to take full advantage.

Natsuki smiled as she whipped down the roads, the wind zipping by her, seeming to almost caress her since she was so happy to be out. Her hair trailed behind her, like an ebony flag; she neglected to put on a helmet, which was becoming the norm for her. She guessed that dream that haunted her not too long ago was still with her. She still _needed_ to ride her bike.

She was barely on her bike for a few minutes before she was in the city. She blew through a busy intersection with skill, not even gazing one of the pedestrians. She also avoided other vehicles with expert care. She continued that behavior, unknowingly going by just the person she was thinking about not too long ago.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru muttered to herself. She was in casual clothing with a bag in her hand. She wondered what Natsuki was doing in the city and why she seemed to be in such a hurry, not to mention grinning from ear to ear. She had to find out what was up with her beloved, so she turned around to go in the same direction as Natsuki.

Natsuki continued on until she nearly did hit someone; damn it, the guy came out of nowhere! Or so Natsuki would have argued if asked. She applied the brakes as the pedestrian seemed to just appear out of thin air. The bike stopped short, nearly bucking Natsuki off. The man she nearly hit fainted as he realized what almost happened.

"Oh crap," Natsuki muttered as she quickly dismounted her motorcycle right in the middle of the street to check on the guy. "I know I didn't hit the slow-poke," she commented as she walked around the bike to get to the fallen fellow.

Natsuki took a step back as she saw a familiar form prone on the ground. She had almost killed Takeda. His eyes were closed, but he was moaning, so she was pretty sure he was alive.

"Takeda-san, are you all right?" Natsuki inquired as she fell to his side and lifted his head. If she were someone else, anyone else more than likely, she probably would have put his head in her lap to comfort him, but being Natsuki, she just held his head in her hands before she started shaking him with the hope that he would wake up.

Takeda groaned loudly after a few seconds. He realized that he was being rocked rather hard, so he slowly opened his eyes to see what was going on. He was surprised to see that he was being manhandled by an angel.

"Did I die and go to heaven?" he muttered in a dazed tone, but Natsuki heard him.

"Idiot!" Natsuki huffed and dropped him, satisfied that he was all right if he could say such stupid things.

Takeda yelped as she released him. He knocked his head against the pavement, which caused him to wince. Natsuki climbed to her feet and looked around for a moment because she did not know what else to do. Takeda got himself together and immediately rose to his feet too; he did not want to seem weak in front of Natsuki, so he knew that he had to be quick to stand up, especially since he had already fainted in front of her.

"Natsuki-san, what're you doing here?" Takeda asked curiously, trying to seem as normal as possible.

"I was out for a bike ride," she answered, motioning to her bike.

"Oh. So, you're free this afternoon?" he inquired, hope fluttering inside his chest and causing his heart to race.

"Yeah, I guess." She shrugged half-heartedly. She was kind of free and she was kind of bored.

"Then perhaps…we…could…hang out?" he proposed, using all of his willpower to avoid trembling while he asked that.

Natsuki shrugged rather nonchalantly. "I guess. What do you wanna do?" she countered.

"We could have lunch or go for a walk in the park or something," he replied. His eyes were slightly wider now, wishing for her to respond in some positive manner.

Natsuki shrugged once more. It seemed like something that would be good to kill time and relieve her boredom. She moved her bike to the side of the street to park it and walked off with Takeda. He was practically screaming for joy on the inside while trying to remain calm on the outside. He had a date with his angel! Well, that was what he thought anyway.

* * *

Shizuru watched as Natsuki walked into the nearby park with Takeda. She had not seen Natsuki almost mow the guy down, getting over to them just in time to see the pair agree to go off into the park. The popular Otome found that she could not breathe, her heart seemed to stop beating, and that fire ignited in her stomach like a nuclear reaction. She did drop her bag; a box wrapped in light blue paper was revealed to any that decided to look at the ground at that moment.

"Natsuki…" Shizuru muttered in a tearful tone. The expression in her crimson eyes was so hurt and crushed that it seemed as if her life was coming to an end. It was almost as if she was mourning.

* * *

Next time: Natsuki goes for a walk in the park with Takeda. Does Shizuru follow them?


	11. Not what it seems

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

11: Not what it seems

The Bewitching Smiling Amethyst could not believe her eyes. It was like she was living in a nightmare. Surely her eyes were lying to her, she tried to convince herself. Her Natsuki, her precious, darling Natsuki, who believed that she was away on a mission, was walking into the park with Takeda in Windbloom city. It just could not be happening or there had to be a better explanation than what it looked like. Her eyes were liars more than likely, she told herself, but that did not ease the discomfort rising in her chest.

Shizuru felt compelled to follow the pair. She barely remembered to pick up the package that she dropped moments ago after seeing her dearest one with Takeda. She did not think to check on the state of the box or the delicate paper that it was wrapped in. She only wanted to see if it was true; was her beloved out on a date?

The brown-haired Otome made sure to stay far behind her love and Takeda. She was not sure why she felt the need to see them, but not approach them. That burning sensation that she was getting familiar with flared inside of her while a primal voice now began begging the question as to who Takeda dared to think he was, trying to take her precious one from her! Shizuru tried to block all of that out, focusing only on watching Natsuki and Takeda as they traveled through the lush, green park.

* * *

"Sorry for almost mowing you down," Natsuki apologized, sounding quite sheepish and looking quite the same with her mouth curled up, her eyes focusing on the sky for a moment. She felt a little embarrassed being an expert rider and almost killing someone while she was on her bike. She supposed that she was riding a bit reckless. She had allowed her joy to get the better of her, she mentally scolded herself.

Takeda laughed, a little nervously. He was just happy he had not peed in his pants when he thought he was going to be flattened by her bike. Sure, he had been trained for hard battle and life-threatening situations, but the speed that the bike was coming at him sort of made his mind go blank for a second and he forget everything he knew. He figured that it would be best to keep all of that to himself and just continue to act as natural as possible around the principal.

"It's okay. Not like you actually hit me or anything," he replied with a nonchalant shrug and put a smooth smile on his face…or he hoped it was a smooth smile. Honestly, Natsuki did not notice.

"Well, still, I almost did, so sorry about that," she pointed out. She supposed that she felt a little guilty over nearly killing him; that would explain the slight nagging feeling tugging at her insides.

"It's fine, really. I'm glad we…um…ran into each other. I've really wanted to see you for a while now," he admitted, a blush staining his cheeks.

"I guess it is nice to get out and hang out with someone for a while," she said with a carefree shrug. She had been quite bored and Shizuru was always telling her that she needed to go out more. Well, there she was out in the park, getting some fresh air.

Takeda nodded in agreement. They continued walking through the large, open park, little conversations popping up here and there. They both could not help but feel as though they were being followed. Takeda felt like someone was glaring fiery daggers into his soul while Natsuki glanced back every minute just because it felt like someone familiar was nearby. They did not see anyone, though.

"Hey, you want some ice cream?" Takeda suggested as they strolled passed a cart advertising that they sold ice cream.

"Sure, why not," Natsuki answered with a shrug.

The pair walked over to the cart to get two cones. Takeda ordered a vanilla cone and Natsuki came very close to ordering two chocolate cones. That was what she ordered whenever she was there with Shizuru.

"Damn, it's like I'm trained or something," Natsuki thought with a grimace, as if that revelation pained her. It was not just that she was about to order two chocolate cones, but also because she never liked chocolate until meeting Shizuru. When they used to sneak out into the park when they were students, Shizuru did all of the ordering when they had food, always speaking up before Natsuki could figure out what she wanted.

--(Flashback)

"Oi, Shizuru, what're you doing?!" fourteen-year-old Natsuki complained as she looked like a startled bird when her onee-sama passed her a chocolate ice cream cone.

The pair was in the park. It was a lovely Spring day and they could not pass it up, so right after classes, they sneaked off campus and into the city. Sometimes with them, it was a wonder who was the bad influence on whom; Haruka had figured out that the duo fed on each other's delinquent behavior, but no one really believed her. Most just decided that the bad-seed Kruger was corrupting the somewhat-innocent Viola; no one was stupid enough to believe that Shizuru was totally innocent, no matter how hard she forced out that angelic smile.

"I'm handing Natsuki her ice cream," Shizuru stated the obvious; a fun pastime of hers since it came along with teasing.

"I didn't want chocolate!" Natsuki huffed, taking the cone, even though she really did not want it. She glared at the ice cream as if she was trying to kill the inanimate object.

"Well, Natsuki should have said what she wanted instead of standing there with her mouth glued shut," Shizuru remarked, smiling in amusement because she thought that Natsuki's expression was too cute.

"I was deciding!" Natsuki replied, getting worked quickly as always. She motioned to the sky with one hand, as if that would solve her problems. She did not move the hand with the cone because she did not want to drop her ice cream.

Such animated behavior always led to Shizuru having mischievous thoughts, wondering if Natsuki got worked up just as quickly in other places. She hoped to one day find out the answer to that.

"What was there to decide? There are three flavors and none of them are mayonnaise," the older student pointed out, hiding her terribly amused smile by taking a lick from her ice cream.

Natsuki glared; the look really did not have the desired affect on her onee-sama and really never had. She suspected that Shizuru thought the glare was adorable, which seriously undermined the point of it. She was right, of course.

"That's why I needed to decide! You always do stuff like this!" Natsuki griped, scowling deeply with her focus now on the cone in her hand.

"Natsuki is making a very big deal out of a treat. Maybe I should just not treat Natsuki to anything anymore," Shizuru commented, which got her partner-in-crime to quiet down for a moment.

Natsuki went from looking angry to looking ashamed in about a second, maybe even less than that. She put her head down and her shoulders slumped. She mumbled something.

"What was that?" Shizuru asked curiously, a half-smile tugging at her lip as if she knew that she had just won yet another argument.

"I said sorry for acting ungrateful," Natsuki grumbled again.

Shizuru smiled a bit, a genuine, light expression, and reached out to gently rub Natsuki's shoulder. The younger woman looked over at her and saw the smile, which let her know that everything was all right. Natsuki was able to lift her head now.

"You should eat your ice cream, Natsuki. It is melting, after all," Shizuru pointed out in a gentle tone.

Natsuki turned her attention to the offending cone. She was not a fan of chocolate ice cream, but she did not want to waste Shizuru's money, so she went in for a taste. Shizuru glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Natsuki licking her cone and the ruby-eyed girl could not help shivering.

"Heaven help me. The effect she has on me is incredible," Shizuru thought to herself. She was not sure why Natsuki could do such things to her, but what started out as a friendship of two delinquents was shaping into something faster than either of them could gather. Shizuru could only hope that Natsuki was going through the same thing as she was because she did not want it to be a one-sided affair.

"Thanks for the ice cream, Shizuru," Natsuki said with a half-smile, which snapped the fair-haired teen out of her daze.

"Think nothing of it. One day, Natsuki can treat me to something in return," Shizuru replied, gently bumping her hip against her companion's side.

"Deal," Natsuki agreed. She then stole her own glance at Shizuru licking her ice cream. A blush immediately flared into Natsuki's cheeks, making her bright enough to use as a signal for passing planes. Shizuru noticed, of course, and smiled at the sight.

--(End flashback)

Of course, as time marched on, Natsuki did start treating Shizuru to things, including ice cream in the park. Unfortunately, Shizuru still made sure to order for the both of them, especially with the ice cream. Eventually, Natsuki just started saying "two chocolate cones" when ordering ice cream. Of course, she grew to like chocolate too.

"You know what, make it two vanilla cones," Takeda suddenly said before Natsuki could talk. He started going into his pocket for his wallet. "My treat," he added.

Natsuki was now stunned into silence. His treat? Vanilla? But, she did not even like vanilla! It was too late to say anything by the time her brain decided to return; the cone was already in her hand when she remembered how to talk. _Damn it!_ Her mind screamed.

"Thank you," Natsuki said with forced politeness as she tried her best not to glare at the ice cream as if she was completely disgusted with its existence.

"No problem," Takeda replied with a smile, obviously thinking that he had done something worthwhile if the proud gleam in his eyes meant anything.

Natsuki took a deep breath as they walked off from the stand to continue on through the beautiful, green park. She took a taste of the ice cream and decided that she liked chocolate a lot more. Now, if only someone would wise up and make a mayo-flavored ice cream, so she would not have to go through such problems, she thought.

* * *

Shizuru could not believe pretty much anything that was happening at the moment. After all, she was the Bewitching Smiling Amethyst, Third Column, and second-in-charge of Garderobe and she was hiding in a bush right now. Adding to that, she was spying on her beloved, who appeared to be on a date. She had to seem utterly ridiculous now and she knew that, yet she continued on.

The tension in her body seemed to drive her on. The burning sensation pushed aside her shame, overrode any thoughts of how silly she had to look, and ordered that she find out what her lover was doing. She was not enjoying what she was witnessing.

"She allowed him to buy her ice cream? Is it true? Are they out on a date?" Shizuru wondered as a stabbing sensation shot through her heart. It was like she was being pricked by a trillion tiny, poisonous needles in the center of her soul.

Shizuru could not believe her eyes as she watched her Natsuki eating vanilla ice cream with that…that…that…Takeda. Frustration set in so deep for her that she could not think of a proper insult. She was not even able to focus on the world around her, just the tight feeling in her body and the fact that her beloved was out with a man. Nothing else really registered to her mind.

Usually, when Natsuki had ice cream, it was quite an enjoyable sight for Shizuru. But, now, all she could do was wonder was Takeda enjoying that wonderful sight? What was going through his mind if he was? Oh, she could guess.

"Natsuki wouldn't…wouldn't let him, right? Of course not. Natsuki is mine. She would never…" Shizuru cut her own thoughts off; she did not realize it, but she sounded ready to burst into tears in her own head. After all, until today, she never would have thought that Natsuki would go on a date with someone that was not her, but there her Natsuki was, walking around the park with that worm.

The fair-headed Otome did not have too much time to ponder things anyway. She had to keep moving since the pair that she was watching continued moving too. She remained undercover in the bushes and behind trees while doing so. She also made sure to keep her distance, not wanting to be spotted. After all, it would be hard to explain what the hell she was doing crouched in a bush or pressed against a tree.

* * *

"This park is really nice and it's huge, but I guess that fits in this city," Takeda commented as he and Natsuki continued walking.

"I guess. Doesn't really bother me much since I used to play in the woods," Natsuki replied with another shrug; she did not notice it, but she hardly ever shrugged so many times in one day. She was trying to resist the urge to throw away her ice cream. She had given up licking it after catching Takeda glance at her while she was eating the dessert.

"Wow, you were a brave kid, huh?" he asked. He could not imagine this angel before him playing in the woods.

Natsuki shrugged yet again. Her parents more often told her that she and her brothers were crazy kids for playing in the woods; stupidity and insanity should never be mistaken for bravery, they used to say. She and her brothers did not care what it was; all they knew was that the forest surrounding their home was fun. Just like the marsh in the middle of the forest. Luckily, they never ran into any wolves, bears, or poisonous snakes…well, not that they noticed anyway.

"But, I guess that's why you would train to be an Otome, huh?" Takeda said to keep the conversation up.

"Not really," she replied in a near grumble. She was getting bored, she realized. She was not sure what it was, but she decided to ignore the bored feeling. Maybe it was just the subject of being an Otome, she considered.

"So, why'd you become an Otome?"

Natsuki was not in the mood to answer that question and she doubted that she ever would be. She did not want to think about why she had to become an Otome. She searched for a change of topic and got one in the form of the duck pond.

"Have you ever fed ducks before?" Natsuki asked curiously. She and Shizuru used to feed the ducks when they were younger…after Shizuru got her out of the habit of chasing the ducks anyway.

"No," he answered.

"It's fun. Come on, let's see if there's some kids with some bread," Natsuki said, taking his hand to pull him away. For some reason, she felt a frost overtake her body that would have put the pole regions to shame. She fought back a shiver, but her soul did quake.

Takeda grinned like a dope while letting Natsuki lead him down to the pond. He was just thrilled that she was holding his hand, even if it was just to take him to a pond. A warm sensation, like hot water, flooded his senses and for a few seconds, the only person that existed in the world aside for him was the woman holding his hand.

They went down to the muddy bank of the pond where there were a few little kids down there with the ducks. Natsuki was the one to ask if the children had bread to spare, so that she and her friend might be able to feed the ducks. The children were kind enough to share a couple of slices of bread for Natsuki and Takeda to feed the ducks.

"This is pretty relaxing," Takeda said while throwing bits of bread to the ducks.

"Yeah," Natsuki agreed. She had always liked feeding the ducks and she made a mental note to get Shizuru out there with her as soon as they had a spare moment.

While Takeda was distracted with the ducks, Natsuki pretended to drop her ice cream. Takeda did notice the cone on the ground when he was done with the ducks. He turned his attention to the principal.

"You dropped it. You want me to get you another one?" Takeda inquired, motioning down to the disregarded cone.

"No, that's okay," Natsuki said, hoping that he did not put up an argument about it. She did not mind the generosity, okay, she actually did mind, but the fact of the matter was that she was sick of ice cream for the night.

"Should we keep going through the park?"

"If you have the time for it," Natsuki answered. After all, she was done for the day. Takeda confirmed that he did have time to continue their walk, so they continued on. Shizuru followed them until they left the park and went to a near by diner for some lunch.

* * *

Shizuru was in the principal's apartment, which was really their apartment since Shizuru had stopped going to hers a long time ago. She was curled up on the sofa, looking quite miserable for perhaps the first time in her life without having to wonder if Natsuki was injured; she might be injured later, though. She was sitting sideways on the couch with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs.

"My Natsuki…on a date…with a man…" Shizuru's voice trembled like a lone leaf in a storm. She could not fathom it, even though she saw it. She shook her head; it could not have been possible, she told herself. Her natsuki could not have…no, it just was not possible.

How could she be losing her Natsuki, especially to some strange man that could not even talk straight in Natsuki's presence? Natsuki had been hers for ten years now, and all of a sudden, a man was coming to try to sweep her off her feet; it would not do. It did not even seem real to her. It could not be real.

The burning in Shizuru's stomach rose to her throat, joining a sorrow that was now working its way to building a home in her body. The burning seemed to devour the sadness as soon as they made contact, swallowing the heartache whole like some monster whale. It was then that Shizuru began to feel determined, which was more like herself; for once, she was thankful for whatever that was that flared inside of her.

There was no way in hell that she was going to let anyone take her Natsuki! Natsuki was her most precious person, after all. Natsuki was the only person that she could show her true self to. She was not going to just wallow in grief and melancholy, being pathetic, while some unworthy man tried to take her Natsuki from her. She would keep her Natsuki.

She picked a good time to find her backbone because the door opened as soon as she decided that she was not going to lose her Natsuki at all, to anyone. She picked herself up off of the sofa and checked on a bag that she had on the side of the couch. Natsuki came in, whistling a tune to the air as she shut the door.

"Why is she whistling? Was her day that good? She looks so casual about it. How often has she been out with Takeda?" Shizuru wondered to herself before she could stop such troubling thoughts from crowding her mind.

Natsuki chucked her keys in the direction of a plant that Shizuru brought to brighten up the apartment years ago; it was something that she usually did. She then turned her attention to the interior of the apartment and noticed Shizuru. She jumped in shock, throwing her hands up.

"Shizuru! What're you doing here?" Natsuki asked while trying to will her heart rate to slow down. Damn Shizuru and her ability to surprise her, Natsuki thought.

"Ara, ara, is Natsuki unhappy to see me?" Shizuru countered, smiling a bit. She really wanted to pout and act utterly pitiful, but she felt like that would be too close to the truth for her to try teasing that way.

"Idiot," Natsuki stated automatically as she walked over to the older woman. She wasted no time embracing Shizuru.

The light-haired Otome almost sighed into the hug. It felt like the same embrace that she always got from Natsuki. She returned the hug as she felt some of her tension melt away thanks to the warmth that was Natsuki.

"I'm glad you're back," Natsuki said in a whisper, almost as if she was speaking romantic words.

"I'm glad to be back," Shizuru replied honestly. She was glad to be in her love's arms and feeling want and care in the embrace.

"But, what're you doing back so soon? And why didn't anyone tell me you were going to be back earlier?" the principal inquired as her eyebrows curled up and her forehead wrinkled in confusion. She wished that she had known that her beloved would be back; she would have come to greet her at the gate as she occasionally did when Shizuru went away.

"It turns out that there was nothing going on with the mission. It was just a false alarm. Once I figured that out, I figured that I would surprise Natsuki and come back early. I brought Natsuki a gift."

Natsuki looked surprised by that and she released Shizuru. The taller woman reached down to the sofa and picked up the bag that was waiting. She handed it over to Natsuki with a smile. The principal smiled while taking the gift.

"I thought of my dearest Natsuki the moment I saw it," Shizuru reported, voice low and loving.

"Thank you," Natsuki said while pulling the box out of the bag. She noticed the torn corners of the one side of the box. "What happened here?" she asked curiously while flipping some of the ripped paper with her index finger.

"I dropped it."

Natsuki laughed a bit. "I hope there weren't any Corals around. They'll know you're not perfect."

Shizuru was quiet, but she did smile. The smile remained as Natsuki opened the box to see a new jacket. The jacket was a rich, light blue made out of the finest silk; blue being Natsuki's favorite color. She sorely needed one considering the one that she was wearing now was her favorite and she wore it everyday. Natsuki had a habit of wearing things until they fell apart; Shizuru suspected that it either had something to do with the younger woman's brothers or just her seemingly disregard to her status as a princess.

"Thanks," Natsuki said while trying the jacket on. She had to shed the one that she was wearing first, which she did in a flash.

Shizuru sat down on the couch while Natsuki dropped her jacket. She looked like a child with a new toy as she put on the new jacket. Natsuki practically grinned as she flopped down on the couch, now wearing her brand new and totally cool in her opinion, jacket. She threw her arms around her beloved as soon as she was seated next to her. She actually snuggled into Shizuru, much like a puppy would curl into any warm, loving body.

"I missed you," Natsuki muttered, head resting on her lover's chest.

"Oh?" Shizuru accidentally sounded quite skeptical and that earned her a puzzled look from her girlfriend.

"Of course, I did. I was bored without you. I did get a lot of work done, though. Weird, huh?" Natsuki mused aloud.

"What do you mean by weird?" the elder Otome asked curiously while trying to get herself together mentally. She could not believe that she allowed herself to sound so skeptical over Natsuki missing her. Of course Natsuki missed her, just as she had missed Natsuki.

"Well, while you were gone, I kept finishing my work early, even today. The couple of times, I didn't know what to do. Today, I went out to ride my bike, though. It was great!" Natsuki's eyes seemed to sparkle as she recalled her bike ride. She clung to Shizuru a little more, but her excited expression morphed into something more blasé as she added to her statement. "Although I did almost hit Takeda."

Shizuru decided to take the opening that Natsuki gave her. "Almost hit Takeda? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you know how I ride. You've been on the bike with me, after all. So, I was riding like always and he was crossing the street and I was this close to flattening him." Natsuki showed how close by putting her thumb and index finger together to the point that they almost touched.

"Ara ara, it's a good thing you didn't. It wouldn't look good for the school to have the principal in jail," Shizuru remarked, a small, teasing smile in place as she put her arms around Natsuki.

"Tell me about it! Plus, if I killed him, my parents would probably come here and I don't think I'd be able to handle them," Natsuki said with a laugh.

"So, what happened after you almost killed your friend?" Shizuru asked.

"Well, I didn't have anything to do and he invited me into the park. I went for a walk with him. Is that okay?" Natsuki asked curiously, almost as if she believed that she had done something wrong just by walking with him.

Shizuru blinked, not expecting that question. "Why would you ask?"

"Well, before you got a little mad because we went to that diner without you. And then you told me that it was 'our' diner. Is the park 'our' park too?" Natsuki already felt pretty guilty from not knowing that the diner was theirs. She would feel even worse if the park was supposed to be something for them and she went there with Takeda.

"Natsuki, the park is a big public facility. I don't think we can claim it," Shizuru quipped, still smiling. She was starting to feel a little better, knowing that Natsuki was openly telling her about her day instead of trying to hide it. She was thankful that she was perceptive, too, because she could tell that Natsuki was being truthful.

"Oh, okay. Well, so, yeah, walked through the park. We had some lunch at a diner that wasn't 'ours' and then I went back to riding my bike since he had to go back to work. This bike ride was great. I met up with some other bikers and we raced. Great day."

"That would explain why Natsuki is getting in so late," the older woman commented.

"Yup."

"So, anything else happened to you today?" Shizuru asked in a quiet tone while pulling Natsuki even closer to her. She rested her head on the top of Natsuki's.

"Oh, yeah, since I didn't know you were gonna be back today, I agreed to go to the fair tomorrow with Takeda. Now, you can come," Natsuki replied, sounding quite happy about that. Shizuru probably would have sounded the same as her girlfriend if only the name "Takeda" had been left out of the equation.

"Goodie…" Shizuru deadpanned. Maybe she should have left well enough alone, but at least she would be able to let Takeda know that Natsuki was hers. She would show him that he could not have her precious one.

The tone went right by Natsuki. She seemed very much into just holding onto Shizuru and being with her. Everything seemed right in Natsuki's world and Shizuru decided to bask in that as much as she could, enjoy it as much as she could. She did not let go of the idea of showing Takeda that Natsuki was hers, though.

* * *

Next time: to the fair they go!


	12. All's fair in love and war

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

12: All's fair in love and war

The fair was a busy place, as to be expected, even though it lasted all year. Despite the fact that it was typically called a fair, it was really an amusement park; most people did like to be amused. There were plenty of rides, games, and activities to keep anyone busy for the day; well, really longer than a day. Natsuki and Shizuru were there that day, looking to meet up with Takeda.

The two Otomes were standing outside of the front gates. They were in casual clothing; well, in their opinions each other outfits were casual. Natsuki actually thought that Shizuru was dressed a bit formally, especially for the fair, but then again that was how Shizuru dressed when she was not wearing her Otome uniform. Shizuru thought that Natsuki could do with wearing a little bit more, but that was mostly because of who was joining them later on.

Shizuru had on a tan skirt that hugged her hips and went to her knees. Her white shirt was button-up and she had a lavender sweater vest over it; the top two buttons were actually left open. She rolled the sleeves up almost to her elbows because it was a little hot that day. The shirt and sweater seemed to embrace her, making Natsuki want to do the same, but she held off.

Natsuki was wearing a powder blue tank-top that was riding high, allowing her bellybutton to peek out into the world. She had on black shorts that fell to her knees, showing off her creamy-white calves. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail to keep it off of most of her back; Shizuru's was the same for the same reason and also to help keep people from recognizing her. Natsuki was not so easily recognized as her lover and, damn it, most people knew better than to approach the Ice Silver Crystal. Funny what threatening to shove a cannon in the face of one fan can do.

The couple was standing quite close to each other. Shizuru was trying to work herself close enough to put her hand into Natsuki's back pocket. She knew that would bother Natsuki, as she had already done it five times on the way to the fair, but the indignant look on the younger woman's face was so adorable that Shizuru just could not help herself.

"I don't see him, yet," Natsuki commented while looking down the street. She had agreed to meet Takeda right outside the amusement park to avoid trying to find each other in the confusion that was happening inside.

"Perhaps he was held up at work," Shizuru proposed, inching ever-so closer. They had been waiting for ten minutes, after all. She wished that they would just go inside without him and spend the day together. She had not voiced that idea yet, but she was drawing closer to just blurting it out.

"Well, we did get here a little early," Natsuki said with a slight sigh, as if she was tired of waiting, which she was. She would have liked nothing more than to run into the fair, tugging Shizuru behind her, but she did agree to meet Takeda. She figured that it was her duty as an Otome to be polite and wait.

"Yes, Natsuki's first time ever being early, wasn't it?" Shizuru teased, putting her arm around her girlfriend's shoulders. The limb was not removed like her hand in Natsuki's pocket would have been.

The principal was about to argue, but she stopped and thought about it. She had been on time for things before, yes, but never early. It probably was her first time being early for anything. That seemed a little weird, she thought. She mentally mapped out her day to figure out how it happened, but could only come up with the fact that it was an odd phenomenon.

Shizuru also thought that it was weird that Natsuki would be early to meet Takeda. Natsuki was never early when meeting her, not when they were simple students, not when they were friends, not when they were dating, and even not now when they had been together for a freaking decade. Natsuki was never early for her. Shizuru frowned involuntarily.

"Well, I guess if he doesn't show up, we can go in ourselves and hang out. Just like old times, huh?" Natsuki figured with a smile.

That idea got Shizuru's attention; she was quite joyful that her lover suggested it. "Yes, just like old times."

Times where they ditched class and went to the fair; it was much more exciting to do when they were supposed to be doing something else. Sort of like today where Natsuki was actually supposed to still be in her office, behind her desk, and crunching some numbers. She was going to be in a lot of trouble later on, they were both sure of that.

--(Flashback)

"We are going to be in some much trouble if we get caught here," teenage Natsuki commented as Shizuru dragged her by the hand through the crowded fair. The younger teen seemed quite worried, which was somewhat typical of her when they cut after she did something really, really bad.

"Ara, isn't Natsuki already in big trouble after everything that happened yesterday?" teenage Shizuru pointed out, looking back at her companion and smiling brightly at her.

"That wasn't my fault!" Natsuki objected, practically barking at her onee-sama. She was in some serious trouble, though.

"It wasn't your fault that your motorcycle crashed through the dorm doors?" Shizuru inquired with that usual teasing glint in her eyes. She had the nerve to sound and look quite confused while asking that question.

"It wasn't! Mai was messing with it!"

The perplexed expression and tone persisted. "So, it's Mai's fault?"

"Well, no. I was trying to show her some things on it and I let her touch a few things…"

"So, then it was Natsuki's fault?"

"Damn it! Whose side are you on anyway?" Natsuki huffed, yanking at her friend's hand since Shizuru was still holding onto her. The older teen did not seem to notice because she did not halt and continued to drag the younger girl around the amusement park.

"I was merely trying to get the facts. After all, it was the reason that you were late to meet up with me. But, of course I am on my precious Natsuki's side, especially if she wins me one of those," Shizuru said with a delighted smile as she noticed a woman walk by with a large stuffed animal; the woman was practically beaming and hugging the thing as if it was made of gold.

"That shouldn't be too hard," Natsuki said with confidence. It seemed like at the request, she forgot her anger completely for the older female.

Shizuru could not hold in her laughter; she sometimes thought that Natsuki was too easily distracted. She hoped that Natsuki's confidence was not misplaced. She honestly wanted a plush toy and she would be overjoyed if Natsuki would win one for her.

They first had to find the game stand that had large stuffed animal prizes; they lucked out because there were plenty. Natsuki scanned the area, trying to find the one game that she knew she would win on the first go out. After all, she did not want to make a fool out of herself in front of her girlfriend.

Green eyes practically lit up when she spotted a game that she knew she would be good at. She rushed over to the game stand and quickly picked up the air rifle necessary for the game. She was going into her pocket for money before she even knew the rules of the game.

"I'm guessing you want to play," the game-runner, a balding man with a short cigar in his mouth, remarked. He looked a bit skeptical that she could do anything with a gun, but money was money.

"Yeah. How much?" Natsuki asked; her hand was still in her pocket, waiting to pull out her cash.

He told her the price and explained the rules. She paid and took aim with the rifle. Her targets were various objects set up at the back of the stand. Whichever item she knocked over with the rifle would be the prize.

"Is Natsuki sure she wants to play this one?" Shizuru asked curiously. She had not run into many girls that handled guns, even as an Otome.

Natsuki smiled, a sly expression. "Well, I dunno. I thought you wanted a stuffed animal, but if you don't, that weird cup shaped like a boot looks like it would be a good prize."

Shizuru bristled from that, which kept Natsuki smiling; it felt good to do the teasing for once. Natsuki took aim and fired at a purple plush toy. It looked like it was a squid or something, but it was hard for her to tell. The point was that it was purple; Shizuru's favorite color. She easily won it, knocking it down after a few shots pushed it off balance.

"Natsuki, where'd you learn to shoot like that?" Shizuru asked, sounding almost amazed by the skill she witnessed as they walked off. She cuddled her giant plush toy, smiling happily.

Natsuki shrugged. "My brothers."

Shizuru nodded; she should have guessed as much. Any knowledge that Natsuki took pride in and was happy to show off came from her brothers. It was a good thing she had decent brothers that did not teach her any weird things when she was little, Shizuru thought. She was also thankful that Natsuki, despite being a tomboy, did not seem to think that she was one of the boys or something like that.

"So, what should we call her?" Shizuru asked, referring to her new plushie.

"Hmm…ugly?" Natsuki suggested because to her that thing was ugly. She really did not understand why Shizuru was so happy to have it, but she was not going to say anything because Shizuru was pleased.

The taller girl pouted. "No, that's not nice. I think I shall call her Natsuki-chan."

"Yeah…no," Natsuki said quite seriously. Like hell she would let Shizuru name that ugly thing after her!

"But, Natsuki, this is our love child and I'd want to name her after you."

Natsuki's face twisted into an expression of pure horror. "Don't say weird things like that!"

The older girl continued to pout, looking close to tears now. "Does Natsuki not claim our child?"

"That thing isn't our child! It's just a toy," the ebony-haired biker huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

That argument went on for a few minutes before Shizuru solved the problem by suggesting that they get on a rollercoaster. She had a feeling that Natsuki would love anything fast and scary. She was spot on; Natsuki wanted to go on every rollercoaster after that. They had to ride all five coasters before doing anything else and by then all Shizuru wanted to do was sit down.

"I guess I got a little carried away," Natsuki said, getting the impression that Shizuru was not having as much fun as she was with the coasters. "Sorry about that. I've never been on rollercoasters this big before."

"It's okay," Shizuru replied as she eased down onto a park bench. Her date sat down next to her.

"You can pick the rest of the rides," the younger girl proposed, hoping that made up for her selfish behavior.

"That's very sweet of Natsuki."

Natsuki blushed because of the sincere and kind words; the honest smile that accompanied the words helped to bring about the blush. The rest of their day was spent getting on rides and eating sweets. Natsuki tried a few more games, looking like an idiot for most of them because she did not get the rules or simply could not beat the game. Shizuru giggled most of the time; the smile on her face remained pure and carefree for the whole time that they were out, though.

It was a good day, until they got back to the dorms that night and Natsuki found Miss Maria waiting for her at her door. The biker girl gulped; why was she always in trouble?!

--(End of flashback)

Shizuru smiled thinking about their date at the carnival when they were younger. Those were good times and she hoped that they would be able to do something similar today. But, for that to happen, Takeda needed to stay wherever the hell he was.

"Oh, here he comes," Natsuki said, taking Shizuru's smile right off of her face.

"Oh, goody," Shizuru deadpanned without bothering to glance up the street to see his approach.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Takeda said as he jogged up to the principal, waving along the way. He was smiling at Natsuki until he noticed Shizuru, who was glaring at him in a way that stopped his heart for more seconds than doctors recommend without the proper equipment.

"It's no problem. I'm late all the time," Natsuki said dismissively and then she noticed his attention was on Shizuru. Little did she know, but he was actually glued in place by fear. "I brought Shizuru with me. She came back early," the principal explained. She had not warned him before hand that she would be bringing her girlfriend, not that he knew Shizuru was her girlfriend.

"Oh, okay. That's fine," Takeda said while trying to regain his composure. It felt like little demons were trying to tear his soul out of his body, though thanks to the glare that Shizuru was giving him.

"Well, let's go in and get on some rollercoasters," Natsuki declared, completely oblivious to the tension in the air. Hey, if Shizuru was not outwardly upset with her, it tended to fly right by her.

"And win me another toy," Shizuru added while throwing her arm around Natsuki's waist, possessively attaching herself to her lover.

"That I can do too," the younger woman concurred with a warm smile.

Takeda followed by the two women, wondering why he suddenly felt like a third wheel on what was supposed to be his date with the principal. He was careful not to fall behind, though. Soon, his time would come, he believed.

He did take a moment to wonder why Natsuki brought Shizuru with her. He guessed that they were best friends, despite the whispers that he heard at the ball and the rumors that he heard about Otome anyway. After all, where he was from, girls did not date other girls and Natsuki was where he was from; sure, it was not the same kingdom, but the areas were close to each other and they were quite similar in culture and customs.

In his culture, a girl going out with another girl was such a foreign concept that he never even though it possible until he got into the city. He still was not sure how it was possible, but the thought was at least in his mind. Still, he doubted that his angel ever thought of such a bizarre thing; she was far too noble for that, he convinced himself.

So, Takeda figured that Shizuru was Natsuki's best friend or something of the kind. He suspected that Natsuki brought her along because he knew that sometimes girls sought their friends' approval over men they dated. So, he really thought that Natsuki bringing Shizuru along was a good thing, figuring it showed that Natsuki was interested in him. Now, all he had to do was make a good impression on Shizuru.

"That shouldn't be too hard," Takeda thought with confidence. Obviously, he failed to take into account that Shizuru already showed signs of hating his guts and trying to will his death with her crimson gaze. And also, there was the fact that she was Natsuki's lover, but that was not a factor for him since he did not know.

The trio entered the fair, Takeda insisting on paying the admission fee. He almost got into a fight with Natsuki over it, though; they were quite close to a serious fist fight. Shizuru stood back and watched; she was the only one not offering to pay. Takeda won out thanks to some Otome training kicking in on Natsuki; as an Otome she was expected to be gracious and arguing over who was going to pay for them to go in when Takeda was offering to pay for them all seemed like it was rude.

"Damn Otome training," Natsuki grumbled to herself. How did it look for her to allow someone to pay for her girlfriend to go somewhere?! She looked like a cheapskate, she thought with a frown as she shoved her hands roughly into her pockets.

Shizuru seemed to note her lover's fury. She took a moment to rub the small of Natsuki's back, hoping to calm her down. Natsuki gave her love a sidelong glance and a smile crept onto her pale face. Shizuru smiled in return as they entered the park.

"So, what should we do first?" Takeda wondered aloud while looking around. He was amazed by the size of the place, but was able to hide that. Being in the city for so long, he had at least learned to stop showing his awe on his face over everything.

"Natsuki, let's go ride a rollercoaster," Shizuru suggested, taking Natsuki's arm and wrapping her own arm around the bare limb. She pulled Natsuki away, trying to leave Takeda behind.

"Oi, Takeda-san, come on! We're going on some rollercoasters," Natsuki informed him, making sure that he did not get separated from them.

Takeda trotted behind the two women, still feeling like a third wheel. On the rollercoasters, Shizuru made sure to sit next to Natsuki. It worked well until they went on a coaster that seat more than two people in a cart. Natsuki ended up sandwiched between Shizuru and Takeda. Natsuki focused on the ride, Takeda focused on the principal, and Shizuru glared at the man as if trying to will his death.

"That was great!" Natsuki practically cheered as they came off of one more coaster. She was clutching Shizuru's arm, getting a smile out of the taller woman.

Natsuki loved rollercoasters and the fair was crawling with them. She remembered when she was younger and the first time she came there with Shizuru. There had been five rollercoasters and that amazed her, especially the fact that four of them were metal and had lots of loops. Before that, she had only been on wooden coasters and sure, she loved the fast dips, but the loops were even better. Being upside down was phenomenal in her opinion. Now, there were fifteen coasters at the park and they still filled her with the same childlike excitement.

Shizuru continued to smile and was going to suggest that they go on more coasters. No, she did not like them much, but Natsuki loved them and she would endure that for her love. Not to mention, most of the ones left only sat two people in a cart. She would get a chance to have Natsuki all to herself again. Unfortunately, Takeda beat her into speaking.

"Let's go play some games," Takeda suggested since they were near a few game stands. He figured that he would be able to show off some sort of ability at a game stand. He was also certain that if he won a prize for Natsuki it would help his chances with her.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Natsuki agreed with a nod, scanning the stands for something to play almost immediately. "We can get something to keep that ugly squid thing you have company," she added in, speaking to Shizuru.

"Don't call Natsuki-chan ugly," Shizuru chided her love with a gentle smile. She also lightly "slapped" the younger Otome as a punishment; the hit was nothing more than a tender caress.

"I told you not to name that thing after me," Natsuki huffed, brow furrowing as if she was angry, but there was no way for her to be truly upset considering the day that she was having.

"Well, Natsuki tells me not to name a lot of things after her. I ran out of names, so one of the lovely toys you won me had to be named after you," Shizuru remarked, sort of purring as she spoke, which unnerved her love.

"I-idiot!" Natsuki snorted while fighting off a blushing that was burning her cheeks.

Shizuru smiled and glanced at Takeda, who was looking at them with a puzzled expression on his face. Her blood-colored eyes seemed to roar at him, but he did not understand the message. She was trying to tell him: _MINE!_ Natsuki was hers and the blush was proof of that.

Shizuru turned her attention back to Natsuki. The principal stopped at the first game stand that had purple stuffed animals. She had gotten better at carnival games over the years; the first time when she made an ass out of herself on everything but the shooting games was like a challenge to her. She was never going to let another fair game make her look like a fool in front of Shizuru again! She had made that vow way back then and still took it quite seriously.

Shizuru released Natsuki to let her play the game. Before she got a chance to step up, Takeda did. Natsuki arched an eyebrow and the first ridiculous thought that went through her head was that he was going to try to win Shizuru something. Anger flared in her, like hell she was going to let him win something for her girlfriend! He had already paid for her to get in; there was no way that Natsuki was going to let him do anything else to show her up!

Natsuki cracked her knuckles and stepped up behind Takeda. She paid the game stand-owner right after he did. They then picked up the necessary equipment to play, four darts. The point of the game was to burst a certain number of small balloons with the darts. Three popped balloons won a prize. Four popped balloons got small plush toys. Four popped balloons of the same color got the big prize, the one that Natsuki wanted.

The game began and ended quickly. Natsuki's goal was achieved, as she knew it would be since she was probably an expert at every carnival game there was now. She quickly picked out a big plum-colored teddy bear, beaming with pride and was set to present her gift to her girlfriend before Takeda had a chance to even dare it.

Takeda, thinking that Natsuki picked out the bear for herself, informed the stand-operator that he would like a small purple teddy bear. He smiled and was about to hand it over to Natsuki when he saw her giving her prize to Shizuru. He did not know what to make of that.

"Oh, a new Natsuki-chan," Shizuru cooed, hugging the toy to her chest. A smile practically oozed onto her face as she held the prize to her.

"You're not naming this ridiculous looking after me!" Natsuki objected, as expected. She always said that after giving her lover some kind of plush toy.

"Oh, but she's so cute, just like Natsuki," the older Otome said, her eyes shining in amusement.

Takeda was once again lost by what the ladies were going on about. They were an odd pair of friends, he thought; but then again, girls always did seem odd with their friends to him. He did cut in after a few seconds. He held up the little plushie that he just won; it was rather tiny compared to what Natsuki had won.

"Um…here…for you," Takeda said in a mumble.

Natsuki was stunned and it was not because he was trying to give the toy to Shizuru. He was holding out the plushie for her. Natsuki was confused, and it showed from the way that her face scrunched up. Why was he trying to give her that thing? She did not want it anymore than he seemed to. But, the Otome training started kicking in again; it would be rude not to accept the gift.

Shizuru felt that now familiar fire ignite and seemed to burn its way all the way up to the roots of her hair as her Natsuki accepted the little, corny, pathetic plush toy. What was wrong with her Natsuki? The principal was not supposed to like dolls, as she used to call them, especially purple ones.

"Um…thanks…" Natsuki said and then the worst thing possible happened, short of Takeda trying to mount her right there anyway. The principal blushed; she was actually embarrassed to be holding the stupid little stuffed animal.

"No problem," Takeda replied, a blush burning his cheeks as well.

Okay, Shizuru thought quite calmly, she was going to have to kill Takeda. How dare he make her Natsuki blush! No, no, no, that just would not do. In fact, it was unforgivable. So, she was going to have to kill him.

Shizuru was seriously one moment away from materializing her naginata before her brain proposed a slightly more rational solution; well, a solution that did not involve her slaying the man before her. She should win Natsuki something for once. After all, every time they came to the fair, she let Natsuki do all of the game playing. It was time for her to step up. If it was prizes Natsuki wanted, then she would give her Natsuki a prize. That way, she could keep her precious one and not have somewhat innocent blood on her hands; blood that would probably upset Natsuki.

"Ara, I think I would like to try my hand at one of these," Shizuru said in her usual life, carefree tone.

Natsuki turned to look at her lover. From the look on the younger woman's face, a person might have assumed Shizuru just told her zombies ran the world and she had pictures to prove it. The principal was so sure that she heard wrong that she was about to dismiss the whole thing, but just to be certain, she had to ask.

"You want to play a game?" Natsuki inquired with an elegant eyebrow arched on her forehead. Why the hell would Shizuru want to play a game?

"Yes. How hard could it be?" Shizuru countered. After all, if Takeda could do it, she was certain that she would do it with no problem.

Natsuki wanted to tell Shizuru that using that remark was never a good way to start things off, but she was not in the mood to lose an argument. Besides, they were just little carnival games, nothing too serious, so she figured that it would be fine for Shizuru to play a few of them. What was the worst that could happen?

--

Next time: Shizuru finds out how hard the carnival games can be.


	13. First time

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

13: First time

Natsuki tried to scan the carnival for an easy game for Shizuru. For some reason, Shizuru wanted to play the games. Why? Natsuki did not know and did not bother to ask. She was just trying to find an easy one since it was going to be Shizuru's first time. She supposed that she did not want her lover to make an ass out of herself, like she did the first time she tried a game that did not involve shooting.

"What about this one?" Shizuru asked curiously, pointing to a ring toss. It seemed innocent enough and the prizes looked worthwhile. She would have a chance to present her beloved with something cute and valuable, as valuable as a fair plushie could be anyway.

"No, all the ring toss games are a scam," Natsuki dismissed the idea, brushing it off with a wave of her hand. She wanted to find something that someone actually had a chance at winning, Shizuru especially.

"But, I've seen Natsuki win once," Shizuru commented in an almost sickeningly sweet tone that was meant to get her love to agree with her, but she was also speaking the plain truth. She had seen Natsuki win a ring toss once, so she did not see how they were a scam.

"I've won at them a few times myself," Takeda added. Yes, Takeda was with them and currently also the reason why Shizuru was looking to play a fair game. See, he won a prize at a game, gave it to Natsuki, and Natsuki actually blushed. Sure, Shizuru did not know that the blush from sheer embarrassment that she was going to have to walk around with a purple teddy bear all day, but the point was that she blushed because of someone who was not Shizuru.

"Fine, I'll try it," Shizuru declared in a strong, almost arrogant tone. She would show the jerk that she could do anything that he could do much better than he could.

Natsuki sighed; what was wrong with Shizuru all of a sudden? She decided to let Shizuru play and find out on her own that it was mostly a scam. Yes, she had won the ring toss once, but it was on a little prize, which were the ones that the stand-owners were willing to part with. The scam came in on the big prizes; the ones that people went after first.

The principal paid for her lover to get three rings. The purpose of this particular ring toss was to get the ring to wrap around a thick square peg. Natsuki knew that all of the higher level pegs were too big for the ring to fit around and she figured that someone as perceptive as Shizuru would figure that out quickly enough. Usually, she would have been right, but right now, Shizuru was too distracted by the blazing discomfort in her stomach and chest to realize anything beyond the fact that Takeda had made her Natsuki blush.

The Graceful Amethyst handed her stuffed animal over to Natsuki to take care of while she played the game. She then took aim and fired. Her ring hit the peg, but did not wrap around it. She tossed the next one and the same thing happened. She was down to her last ring.

Natsuki watched as Shizuru's eyes grew determined, almost as if she was going into battle. The principal could only wonder why Shizuru was taking a little carnival game so seriously. Sure, she had taken them very seriously when she first started playing, but that was just because she was looking to impress her then-new girlfriend, Shizuru. Shizuru did not have to impress anyone and Natsuki liked to think that some part of her lover was too mature to get upset over a game, especially a corny game like ring toss.

Shizuru nearly growled when she let the last ring fly, only for it to follow the same tragic path of the previous two. Natsuki noticed how tense her love was, so she went over to her. She was about to wrap her arm around Shizuru and remind her that it was just a stupid game, but she did not make it that far.

"Again," Shizuru demanded with fire in her tone. She had lost control of herself to the point where it slipped her mind to be polite or fake a smile. All she felt was that burning, making her want to win the game come Hell or high water.

"Again?" Natsuki echoed as if she did not understand the word. Her face even scrunched up from confusion for a moment. "Shizuru, it's a dumb game. There are better ones around here," she tried to point out, wanting to save face for her love and save her money.

"No, I want to play this again," Shizuru insisted heatedly. No way in hell she was going to leave the stand a defeated Otome, in front of her lover and the man trying to steal her Natsuki from her!

"Fine," Natsuki sighed and paid for three more rings.

"I'll play too," Takeda said suddenly. He thought that playing another game and winning would put him further into Natsuki's good graces. Plus, figuring that since Shizuru played and lost, and she was the best friend that he thought was there to judge him worthy of Natsuki, he decided that if he outperformed her, she would see that he was worthy of the angel before him.

Natsuki rolled her eyes. She was not about to be any more a part of the money wasting venture than she already was. She just stood back as Shizuru and Takeda started playing the game again. After losing again, Shizuru still wanted to play, mostly because Takeda was playing again. Natsuki sighed as if she was exhausted; Shizuru was a very high-maintenance girlfriend.

Shizuru did not think much of the fact that she was spending her lover's money. She did not have the mental capacity to consider that might annoy Natsuki somewhat. She just wanted to beat Takeda and win Natsuki something with the hope that it would get Natsuki to stay with her. The game was not cooperating with her, though.

After a couple of tries for the big prizes, Takeda decided to go for something smaller. He hooked his ring around one of the lower pegs and won plastic flower; a fake red rose. He presented that to Natsuki.

"Thanks…" The principal had to force herself not to wear a deadpan expression while saying that. She made a conscious effort not to grit her teeth also, but that did not work as well as she hoped. Thankfully, she did not blush that time or Takeda surely would have been decapitated before the flush faded from her face.

"Well, maybe we should go do something else," Takeda suggested, glancing around the fair grounds. He was starting to feel pretty good about himself now that he won Natsuki a couple of things and he was certain that he appeared like a good guy to both women that he was with.

"I would like to play again," Shizuru said through gritted teeth.

"Come on, Shizuru. We'll play something else. This thing is a scam. You can't win the stuff you're trying to go after," Natsuki tried to explain; screw the fact that the man that ran the stand was right there. He wisely did not dispute her words, though.

"But, I would like to play again," Shizuru said in a cold, determined voice that sort of frightened her beloved.

"Uh…Shizuru, we'll play something else. Calm down and come on," the younger woman said.

Before Shizuru could insist once more to play, Natsuki put her arm around the older Otome and gently pulled her away from the game stand. The battle between Takeda and Shizuru had only just begun; the amusing thing probably would have been that Shizuru was the only one aware there was a battle, but considering how Shizuru could be sometimes, it probably would have been good if Takeda or Natsuki got a clue and quick.

The next unknown battle came when Natsuki handed Shizuru back her giant teddy bear. Natsuki had no problem winning them, but carrying them was typically where she crossed the line. Besides, she had her own little annoying toy to lug around; she had unceremoniously shoved the plastic flower in her pocket.

With the bear in her arms, Shizuru was unable to put her arms around Natsuki. Well, she eventually would have worked the bear into one arm and put the other around the principal, but that Takeda tried to beat her to that. He actually went to put his arm around Natsuki's shoulders. Shizuru glared and decided that as soon as that limb touched her precious one, she seriously was slicing it off. No one touched her Natsuki in even a slightly romantic way aside for her!

By chance Takeda was able to keep his arm because Natsuki found a new addition to the fair: go carts. She walked off with a rapid, steady stride to go check it out. Takeda was left with his arm halfway in the air around nothing at all. He appeared to be confused when he realized that he was not holding Natsuki.

Shizuru glared at him and practically snarled. He gulped, starting to get the hint that she did not like him. His heart rate sped up and his legs desired nothing more than to flee the scene, carry him as far as they could away from the woman he was now starting to consider might be a demon. He held his ground despite the fear coursing through his body, almost making him tremble.

He really could not think of why she disliked him or why she seemed to be trying to kill him with her eyes. He was not sure what he was going to do about it either. He just knew that he had to get on her good side or she would bad mouth him to Natsuki, thus ruining his chances with the angel.

"Hey, guys, let's ride the go carts!" Natsuki called to them, saving Takeda from a prolonged awkward moment with her love.

Shizuru turned from Takeda and a bright smile formed on her face as she set her sights on Natsuki. She went over to her lover with Takeda trailing behind her. He was wondering what the hell that was all about while his heartbeat started to return to normal.

Natsuki had the most fun on the go carts, which Shizuru expected. Shizuru spent much of her time trying to crash into Takeda, but he seemed to catch on and lagged behind her the last two laps of the three lap race. He was starting to wonder what the hell was wrong with Shizuru. What was wrong with her was that he would not just die in a go cart accident like she was planning because the coward would not accelerate his cart.

After that, Takeda hoped that there were no more interactive attractions like the go carts around. The rest of the day was not so bad. They had lunch at an outside café in the fair; Shizuru made sure to sit as close to Natsuki as possible. The principal was starting to recognize the tension, but did not know the point of it and chose to ignore it until it really required her attention.

The outing ended before the tension really did require Natsuki's attention; they were about one word away from Shizuru dicing Takeda up and eating the pieces, but luckily he had already bid them goodnight by then. By that time, Natsuki finally caught on that her girlfriend did not like Takeda; a person that was blind and deaf probably would have figured it out. She just could not figure out why Shizuru disliked Takeda.

"That was fun," Natsuki said with a content smile on her face as they entered the apartment.

"It was enjoyable," Shizuru concurred, smiling a bit herself. It was fun if she could mentally put Takeda out of the picture. She enjoyed being around her dearest Natsuki, after all.

"Glad you had fun spending all my money like always," the principal remarked. She suspected that somewhere, Shizuru had amassed quite the fortune considering the fact that she had not spent a dime on herself since she and Natsuki started dating.

"Ara, Natsuki is such a gentleman all the time," Shizuru teased, smirking as she spoke now.

A blush was followed by the usual, "Idiot!" She actually did not mind being called a gentleman, but it was just weird to hear, especially when it seemed to come out of the blue.

Shizuru laughed a little while going into the bedroom to put her newest plush toy with the others. There was a large pile of stuffed animals in the corner of their bedroom. Of course, Natsuki hated having them there, but it was better there than out in the living room where people might see; they did have the occasional visitor, after all. Founder forbid people know that there were purple plush toys in the tough, former biker principal's home.

Natsuki looked down at her own plush toy, the one Takeda won for her. Her gaze then went to the plastic flower that he won for her; the top of the thing was poking out of her pocket. She did not know what to do with them, not really wanting either gift. But, it was rude not to accept and she suspected that it was equally rude to just throw them away.

"I guess there's only one place to put this thing then," Natsuki sighed as she went into the bedroom too.

Shizuru was still in there, now pulling out things to prepare for bed. She wondered why Natsuki was going over to the plush toys and then she saw why. She watched with horror in her wide crimson eyes as Natsuki put down the teddy bear that Takeda won her.

"Nat…Natsuki, what're you doing?" Shizuru inquired, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She was failing horribly, though.

"I was putting the stupid bear down with everything else. I mean, I didn't wanna just throw it out," Natsuki explained with a shrug.

"So, you're going to keep it?" Shizuru asked, an odd emotion creeping into her voice making it hot, yet tremble at the same time. Was that what jealousy and fear did to someone's voice? Were those the things that she was feeling? She was not sure about either.

"Well, I didn't wanna throw it out," Natsuki repeated and then she figured out that Shizuru probably did not want it there because she disliked Takeda. "But, if you want me to get rid of it, I'll do that too."

"I think I would like that," Shizuru answered with unintended honesty. She meant to feign like it was fine, but apparently something other than her brain was controlling her mouth at the moment.

Natsuki grabbed the toy and wasted no time chucking it in the trash. She did not want the damn thing anyway and it was nice to have an excuse to get rid of it. With that out of the way, she decided that she was hungry.

"I'm gonna head down to the cafeteria and see if they have any food left. Want me to get you anything if they do?" Natsuki asked.

"Yes, thank you," Shizuru replied.

Natsuki was gone with that, knowing what to get Shizuru if there was food left. Shizuru flopped down into a chair as soon as she was alone. She held her face in her hands for a moment, rubbing her face.

"What's wrong with me? Natsuki is mine. I know this as a fact, so why do I feel like she's drifting toward that…_boy_? Yes, he is obviously trying to take her from me, but she's not likely to go, now is she? Of course not. She's been mine for so long, why would she stop? Natsuki loves me as much as I love her. Natsuki loves me," Shizuru reminded herself.

Yes, Natsuki loved her, but that did not stop the gnawing sensation in her belly, the one that always started that discomforting fire in her torso. It was still going, full force, even though _he_ was gone. Just the thought of him churned her insides and scorched her soul.

Natsuki returned quickly, looking like a conquering hero as she came in with two covered plates of food. She called out for Shizuru as she placed the food on the table. Shizuru came out to the dining room and smiled while watching Natsuki get things ready for their meal.

Surely Natsuki preferred her to Takeda, Shizuru mentally insisted. After all, Natsuki was there with her now. Natsuki was preparing _their_ table for _them_ to eat together. Natsuki was hers and Natsuki would always be hers, she was certain of that. And yet, the feeling persisted.

They sat in silence for a moment. Natsuki was wrapped up in her meal; apparently, she was very hungry. Shizuru attacked her food with much less enthusiasm. She was hungry, but the gnawing in her guts prevented her from enjoying the meal.

"Shizuru, you okay?" Natsuki asked when she noticed the way her lover was sort of picking at the food.

It was rare of Shizuru to play with her food; it was more a Natsuki thing to do. Shizuru nodded to let her love knew that she was all right, but Natsuki knew it was a lie. She could almost see pain in those crimson eyes, which she did note were missing their typical shine.

"What's wrong?" the principal asked in a gentle tone that she only used to Shizuru. Her own eyes carried the same emotion as her voice.

"Natsuki…you still love me, right?" Shizuru asked, almost as if she was scared to hear the answer.

The question caught the younger woman off guard. She blinked once hard, wondering where that had even come from. Luckily, the fear went by her; she did not know what Shizuru sounded like when she was scared, so she had never heard the tone. If she did note the fear, she probably would have panicked because it was so foreign for them both.

"Of course I still love you. I did just brave running into Miss Maria to get you dinner, didn't I?" Natsuki remarked with a smile. It was going to be hell when she did run into Miss Maria; after all, she ditched work to go to the fair.

Shizuru chuckled a bit, feeling a little better just from that joke. "Yes, Natsuki did. Be still my beating heart," she teased.

"Next time, I'll let ya starve then," the younger Otome replied, smiling still.

"Meanie."

"Damn right."

They were silent again for a while, finishing off their food for the most part. When the thick silence was finally breached, it was Shizuru that spoke now. She took a deep breath before saying anything.

"Natsuki."

"Yeah?"

"Will you kiss me?" her voice was lower than usual, but above a whisper. Once again, she sounded almost afraid of the answer, even though she was sure that she knew what it would be.

Natsuki thought that was an odd request; Shizuru was acting very weird. The raven-haired Otome figured that the best thing that she could do was fulfill the request; she would gladly do so. She wasted no time climbing to her feet and walking the two steps over to Shizuru.

The principal claimed Shizuru's lips in a simple, but passionate kiss. Shizuru's arms came up around Natsuki's neck, pressing her down into kiss, begging for more. The emerald-eyed former biker obliged.

A gentle tongue slid across Shizuru's mouth, which she opened to grant the welcomed presence. The usual occupant greeted the visitor was much enthusiasm and the pair engaged in a warm, sensual embrace. Moans brushed by them, escaping one mouth into the other, only to be swallowed down.

When they pulled away for air, they were both staring at each other with half-closed eyes. Shizuru collected her breath first and placed a few soft pecks to Natsuki's mouth while she was still catching her breath. Natsuki returned a couple of the pecks before coming in for another soul-searing kiss.

"Natsuki, take me to bed," Shizuru requested in a whispered voice. The underlying motive there: _Natsuki, show me you love me_.

The younger woman did not argue. She leaned down and collected Shizuru in her arms, carrying her bridal style to their bedroom; Natsuki had never had a problem lifting Shizuru up despite being shorter than Shizuru. When they got into the bedroom, Natsuki gently lowered Shizuru to the bed.

The principal knew just from Shizuru's strange behavior that she was going to be in control of things for the moment and she needed to be tender. It was not all that hard. She tended to like it when she and Shizuru had a slow, passionate session.

Natsuki came in for another kiss, which Shizuru returned. While her mouth was occupied, Natsuki's hands went for the clasp on her love's skirt and undid it. She slid the garment off as much as she could without pulling away from Shizuru's probing mouth, which was fine. Shizuru was able to kick the annoying cloth away when Natsuki was done with it.

She was glad that Natsuki continued their kiss. She noticed the care that went in that move, thankful that it did quell that uneasy feeling in her stomach a little. She hoped that more affection, more intimacy would eliminate that fire.

Natsuki's hands caressed Shizuru's revealed legs, earning a small mew from the older woman. Her fingers ran up and down the length of those long limbs as if she was mapping them out. She did have them memorized already, though, and knew exactly where to go to get specific reactions. She circled an area, adding some pressure, causing her love to cry out in her mouth.

Shizuru started clawing at Natsuki's shirt, which caused the principal to pull away. The fair-haired Otome whined a bit when the warm mouth left hers. She almost felt abandoned, even though Natsuki was right there and had a good reason to separate them. Still, she could not rationalize the feeling away.

Natsuki quickly lifted her shirt off and disregarded it somewhere behind them by tossing it over her head. She then went to do the same with Shizuru's shirt. She managed to get the vest off easily enough, but the shirt was taking too long.

"Damn it," the younger woman cursed under breath. Stupid complicated shirts with their small buttons that actually flexed when touched.

Natsuki ended up abandoning her endeavor of getting Shizuru out of the shirt, having unbuttoned two of the bottom buttons. Mouths connected again while one of Natsuki's hands did find its way into Shizuru's shirt. The older woman's abdomen tightened a bit when caring fingers danced across her skin before she leaned into feel more of the delightful touch.

"Yes," Shizuru said in her head. "Show me you love me, Natsuki. Love me and only me."

The fire that was in the world-famous Graceful Amethyst was now being devoured by desire. It still was a bit difficult to completely focus on the wonderful things that Natsuki was doing to her, just like before. All she could think about was how the loving touch told her that Natsuki loved her.

The exploring fingers ended up at the border of Shizuru's bra. The digits felt around the garment; Shizuru knew that Natsuki was collecting data to make a guess at which one she was wearing. The front clasp gave it away.

"The white one with the rose design on it?" Natsuki muttered in an almost puzzled voice. She then gave Shizuru a sly look. "You were planning on some action, weren't you?" she asked with a smirk.

"Ara ara, Natsuki, I thought you would know by now that I always plan for action," Shizuru remarked with a forced teasing smile. Okay, she had not actually planned for this, but it was an added bonus that she was wearing one of Natsuki's favorite pieces of underwear.

Natsuki did not utter another word. She came in for a fresh kiss while her hand continued to fondle her lover without removing the bra. She liked the feel of this particular piece and often left it on Shizuru if they made love and Shizuru was wearing it. She eventually opened it for the simple fact that if she did leave it, she would stay up longer than she needed to be, caressing it and Shizuru for the whole night.

The bra joined Shizuru's skirt on the floor. Natsuki still was being lazy about getting rid of the shirt, though. Apparently, as long as she could grope Shizuru's breasts and feel the soft skin of Shizuru's belly, all was fine to her; yeah, that was just like Natsuki. Shizuru supposed that she was going to have to make another request to progress things.

"Natsuki," Shizuru whispered in a pant.

"Yeah?" Natsuki replied, now kissing the side of Shizuru's neck since their original kiss was broken. She considered that she could probably kiss and caress her lover forever if she had the chance. She doubted that Shizuru would complain if she did such a thing until sunrise; she wished that she had the time for such a thing now.

"Let me feel you," the older Otome implored her in a hot breath. She wanted to feel whole through skin on skin contact. She wanted to know that they were together from every nerve-ending on her body.

"You're asking for a lot of things tonight, Viola," Natsuki remarked, an amused smile pressing into Shizuru's throat.

"Keep that up and you'll spoil the mood," Shizuru countered, sounding much more like herself now. Her confidence was steadily returning with every heavenly touch from her beloved.

Natsuki knew that was untrue; she had done many a stupid things in the past during intimate moments and still had yet to spoil the mood. But, she did grant Shizuru's request. Hell, Shizuru could have asked her for the moon that night and she would have flown off to go fetch it posthaste. She just wanted Shizuru to be okay.

The principal stripped slowly, knowing that Shizuru liked watching. Shizuru did reach out to lend a hand, happily undoing Natsuki's pants and pulling them down her hips. She looked upon Natsuki that night almost as if seeing her for the first time. Natsuki actually blushed, like she did the first time that they had made love.

"Tell me what you want me to do to you," Natsuki whispered as she leaned down to kiss Shizuru again.

"Just make love to me," Shizuru replied. Make love to me and only me, she silently pled.

Natsuki set about that task. She kissed every inch of Shizuru's body, covering her heated flesh in burning, yet wet kisses. Her hands danced over the perfect form, in her opinion; and many others, she was certain of that. Shizuru felt so incredibly wonder that Natsuki shivered while touching her. The Second Column thought that she might explode while exploring the creature whimpering underneath her.

Shizuru clung to Natsuki that night when it was usually the other way around; she was also pleading with Natsuki to never let go of her, yet she was the one doing the holding. It was like Natsuki was all around her, as if Natsuki were water and she was submerged, not caring if she drowned. It was what she needed; she was certain that Natsuki was still hers.

"Don't stop. Hold on," Shizuru begged, nails biting into Natsuki's powerful shoulders.

Natsuki's mind barely registered that anything was eating into her shoulders. All she knew was that she wanted to touch Shizuru's soul with her own, and she had no plans to stop until she did that. The room filled with Shizuru's cries and their mixed scents as Natsuki pressed on to accomplish her goal.

What started with a kiss ended with the same, although the ending one was lower than the first. Tears collected in Shizuru's scarlet eyes as Natsuki seemed to drown her with her devoted tongue and loving hands. The principal was digging for the treasure that she sought, knowing that the bright soul that was Shizuru was locked down in her core. She would touch paradise and connect them on the highest level she could to let Shizuru know how important she was to Natsuki.

"My most precious person…" Natsuki whispered in her own head as she drank from Shizuru as if her essence was fountain of youth. Her hands continued to glide up and down her lover's now-slick body, traveling as high as breasts and as low as her knees, making sure to touch all the right spots to accompany her love to the highest height.

Shizuru did not even recognize her own voice crying out as she climaxed, calling for her one and only love as she reached out for the heavens. Natsuki continued on, even as she felt Shizuru clenching around her. For her, it was not yet mission accomplished.

Only when Shizuru was completely still did Natsuki move, kissing her way up Shizuru's body. Each kiss was slow, affectionate, and wet. When she got up to Shizuru's face, she noticed the tears silently falling. She smiled, tender, thoughtful smile while locking eyes with the older woman.

"I love you," Natsuki stated plainly before coming in from another kiss on the mouth. Shizuru responded eagerly and kissed her back for over a minute. Natsuki's chest heaved as she pulled away.

The lovers locked eyes again and now Natsuki knew her mission was accomplished. It was like she could see the very depths of Shizuru and knew that Shizuru could see the same with her. Shizuru smiled and Natsuki knew from that that things were all right now. She could not help smiling back at Shizuru.

The principal did declare her love again when she and Shizuru settled down for sleep. Shizuru curled into her love, who wrapped her arms around Shizuru; she would now be able to fulfill Shizuru's request of not letting go. The Third Column was able to rest easy; Natsuki was still hers.

--

Next time: Natsuki and Shizuru go on a few dates. What could possibly go wrong there? Probably everything.


	14. Nuclear reactions

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

14: Nuclear reactions

Things were normal, at least to Natsuki anyway. She was back to work. Amazingly enough, she had not been chained to the blasted desk to keep her there for the whole day. Things were probably going to come to that if she continued on behaving so recklessly with her duties, though.

Miss Maria was practically breathing fire down her neck because she skipped out on work not too long ago to go to the fair, but she was used to being in trouble, so it was no big deal to her. She would not be surprised to find out if someone was standing guard outside of her office; well, someone aside for her receptionist anyway.

Natsuki actually now had two receptionists, so it was like having a guard. She still had Shiori, Shizuru's Pearl spy as Natsuki sometimes thought of her, even though Shiori had taken the principal's side in many recent actions. Not to mention, Natsuki secretly liked Shiori.

But, Miss Maria also assigned Natsuki a receptionist since Shiori could not do the job all day. So, she and the new Pearl alternated shifts, acting as sentries and making sure that Natsuki did not make anymore escapes. She was probably going to test that theory out if her current attitude toward work persisted.

"I can't believe these guys are babysitting me," Natsuki grumbled, frowning at her desk and the paperwork littering it.

"You need babysitting obviously," Miss Maria said sharply as she stepped into the room with all the presence of a giant. Sometimes, the principal felt like Miss Maria could squish her like a little bug if the elder felt like it.

"What're you, checking up on me now?" the raven-haired woman inquired in a sardonic tone typical of her.

"Yes. I wouldn't put it past you to go out of the window to make sure Shiori doesn't notice you're gone," the older Otome stated bluntly.

Natsuki did not say anything, since the thought actually had crossed her mind. She was going to save that plan for when she really needed to get out, though. For right now, she was happy where she was, even if Miss Maria felt the need to check on her every hour on the hour. Shizuru had thirty minutes pass the hour as her check-in time, making sure the principal was still where she was supposed to. It was like being tried like a rebellious teenager and she would know since she used to be one.

Natsuki could only wonder why Shizuru was helping in keeping her at her desk. Usually Shizuru fed her bad behavior as long as there was no emergency at hand. They were supposed to be partners in crime, after all. The principal did not know, but Shizuru was trying to make sure that she knew where Natsuki was and the principal did not somehow end up with Takeda.

Miss Maria left after making sure Natsuki was where she was supposed to be and taking care of what she was supposed to. Natsuki made a mocking gesture at her back as she left. Miss Maria whipped around and Natsuki pretended to be working. It was a childish little game, she knew, but there was something nostalgic about it. What better time to fall back into old habits than when Miss Maria was getting on her case so badly?

Shizuru came in a little while later with tea. She looked as she always did, small smile painting her pleasant features. There were thankfully no signs of distress or discomfort that Natsuki would have saw fit to rid her of; work be damned. They spent some quiet time together. While they drank tea, Shizuru helped out with the paperwork since she was there.

"Perhaps if Natsuki finishes up early we could go out," Shizuru proposed out of the blue. Or so it seemed to her lover anyway.

"You wanna go out?" Natsuki asked with a curious expression on her face.

Shizuru shrugged, as if it did not matter. She kept a rather neutral, almost indifferent expression on her face as she responded. "It would be fun."

Natsuki sighed; despite the fact that she cut out on a lot of things, work and before that school, she was not really the type to go out. Sure, she went out to ride her bike every now and then, but ever since she left home, going outside lost its appeal. Maybe it was due to the lack of forests and swamps, and any other filthy area that she could almost kill herself along with her brothers.

She liked staying in now, generally exercising or playing video games. Yes, the principal-of-Garderobe-and-Second-Column played video games. She was perfectly fine with entertaining herself, but things were the direct opposite with her girlfriend.

"Do we really gotta go out?" Natsuki asked, leaning back in her chair and trying her best not to put on her please-don't-make-me-do-this-Shizuru face. The apprehension was there, though. Her eyes begged: don't make me go out on a date!

"It would be fun," Shizuru repeated, more determination in her tone, but still seeming quite indifferent to her own suggestion.

Natsuki took the hint; it would seem they were now going out. She wondered why Shizuru suddenly wanted to go, though. They had not been on a leisure date in a long time; typically when they went out now, it was for business in someway. The "dates" that they had now tended to be Shizuru coming into Natsuki office for lunch or them eating lunch somewhere around campus. She was fine with those as they seemed far more genuine to her than other dates; she thought it was the same with Shizuru. Did something change?

The raven-haired Otome was not sure what to make of the behavior. She was about to revert to an old habit of hers: overanalyzing things. She kept herself from doing that by remembering that whenever she used to over-think Shizuru's actions, she only succeeded in confusing herself. So, she decided to just take things at face value that Shizuru was probably bored and like most women, liked going out on real dates every now and then.

"I guess I should work faster then, huh?" the principal commented. She was going to have to make it out of work on time or a little early if they were going to go out.

"I would appreciate it," Shizuru replied with a bright smile that seemed to make her whole face light up.

The younger woman sighed, but she did seem to make it a point to work faster. Shizuru smiled at the effort. The ruby-eyed Otome did not leave the office until Miss Maria came to make her rounds, checking in on the principal again. Natsuki sighed once she was alone.

"What is wrong with everybody lately? They've all lost their minds, treating me like I'm a kid. I'm the principal, damn it!" Natsuki complained rather loudly, slamming her palm down on her desk, creating more noise.

"What was that, Headmaster Kruger?" Miss Maria inquired as she poked her head back into the office.

Natsuki grinned widely and let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "Uh…I was just saying how I should get to work!"

"That's what I thought you said."

Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief when Miss Maria was gone again. She did not open her mouth that time, though, not wishing to try her luck. She turned her attention back to her work and tried to figure out where she should take Shizuru. Whenever Shizuru "hinted" that she wanted to go out, she usually left it to Natsuki to figure out where to go. Shizuru always thought that if Natsuki picked the place, being out would be less of a bother for her; she was not entirely right about that.

The principal did not finish up her work any faster than she usually did. All of the distractions with Shizuru and Miss Maria coming in and out every thirty minutes really threw Natsuki off. When she finished was actually irrelevant because no matter what, Shizuru still expected to be taken out that night and she made it clear by continuing to state that "it would be fun."

Natsuki took Shizuru out, hoping that it would at least get her beloved to stop checking on her the next day. How wrong was she to hope for that? Shizuru was determined to keep an eye on Natsuki, so she was not giving up her hourly checks. She was also determined to make sure that Natsuki was hers, so that night she kept Natsuki up well into the night with some rather passionate coupling. Natsuki did not complain at the time, but that tune would change as Shizuru's behavior continued as days passed.

Shizuru wanted to go out almost every night it seemed after that first date, even when it was clear that Natsuki did not want to go out; hell, Shizuru knew that Natsuki really did not like going out unless it was to ride her bike. But, Natsuki had gone for a walk with Takeda and had agreed to go with him to the fair when Shizuru had been away on a mission, so Shizuru figured either Natsuki had gotten over her problem with the outdoors or, the worse thought of the two, liked being around Takeda enough to brave outside to be with him. If Natsuki could go out with Takeda, surely she could do the same for her loving girlfriend.

--(New day)

The scene outside of the principal's windows was lively. Students socializing with each other. Birds drifting by, gliding on a gentle breeze. There were clouds in the clear blue sky, but they were not dominating the blue. It was a day when everyone seemed to be doing something active. Well, not everyone.

Natsuki was at her desk, forehead flat on the cool polished wood. Her back rose and fell at a steady rhythm. If anyone braved getting close to her, the person would hear some light snoring and notice some drool at the corner of her mouth. She was sleeping, dead to the outside, happy, lovely world.

She had not even tried to stay awake when she noticed that she was nodding off at her desk a few minutes ago. She did not care if Miss Maria found her as she was. She needed some sleep. She had been so busy, mostly doing things that she did not want.

She supposed that she should not feel too bad about the things that she had been doing, taking Shizuru out on dates. She liked seeing Shizuru's sincere smile, after all. She really wanted nothing more in life than to make Shizuru happy and if something as simple as a date did that, then she would take Shizuru to freaking moon if that was what the older woman desired.

It was just that the dates were not things that kept Natsuki entertained. They had gone to a lot of shows, mostly "girly" things with a lot of drama and romance. Thanks to those dates, Natsuki was fairly sure that she hated the theater, especially if singing and dancing was involved in the show. In fact, she had to go to another show, she was pretty sure that she was going to shoot at the stage.

There were worse dates, of course. Shizuru wanted to go to a place to do glassblowing; the principal did not even know there was a place that allowed such things until Shizuru brought it up. In fact, Shizuru had to take minutes to explain to Natsuki just what the hell glassblowing was. Look, the word "blowing" was in there and it was Shizuru making the suggestion. Could Natsuki really be blamed for thinking something quirky before anything else?

Natsuki took her, like any good girlfriend would, she supposed. They went and made some glass…thingies as far as Natsuki was considered. She guessed that they were bottles or something, but considering how deformed hers came out, she figured that she just made a big paperweight that was too ugly to put on her desk. Shizuru's was nice enough for her to put on the desk and it was sitting there next to a picture of her beloved.

There were things that even fell lower on the "dates I liked" list with Natsuki; why she even had a list like that, she did not know. Really, the list should have been "dates I hate," but that seemed to pessimistic to her. Besides, she honestly believed she could never hate anything as long as Shizuru was there.

They had gone to an art gallery. Now, Natsuki did not know art, but she knew what she liked, and she did not like the gallery. The same with a series of museums that Shizuru dragged her to, teasing her about getting some culture. Natsuki did not even know what that meant, but somewhere inside she did not take it as the usual taunt; she took it as an insult. Maybe it was because she was so tired or maybe because she was annoyed, but still, she took it as an affront to her.

She spent that whole date seething, wondering if Shizuru was trying to imply she was a hick. Yes, she knew that she was from the boondocks of the world, but that did not mean that she was without culture. She argued with herself for the day, wondering if it was just a joke or if Shizuru seriously thought that she was some uncultured, backwards goon. She never figured out which and never asked Shizuru to clarify the matter.

The dates were not the only thing zapping Natsuki of her energy. There was also the late nights. Every night recently, Shizuru made sure that they made love. It was wearing Natsuki out to the point that she actually fell asleep during sex last night…a couple of times; Shizuru woke her up with a not-so-gentle nip on a very sensitive area the first time. The second time…she woke up after feeling an intense, unpleasant gaze seemingly obliterating her soul; Shizuru was glaring at her.

So, right now, Natsuki was getting some sleep while she had the chance. After all, she knew that Shizuru probably was going to come into her office sometime that day with the desire to go out. They were going to have to go out and then they were going to have to make love well into the night. The thought itself would have made Natsuki pass out; there was only so much attention her lower regions could take in the past couple of weeks.

--

Shizuru was still in the apartment. She was straightening things up and preparing the kitchen for the masterpiece that she was about to prepare in it. She had not been to see Natsuki all day, mostly because she was planning a surprise for her. Just the thought of surprising her beloved had her gliding around the place.

She recognized that Natsuki was going a bunch of places with her that Natsuki did not like (Okay, she knew Natsuki downright hated them). She wanted to show Natsuki that she appreciated the dates. She appreciated Natsuki.

She figured that making a surprise dinner would be one good way to go about showing her appreciation for her love. A surprise romantic dinner complete with candles and music, not that Natsuki would care about either. She just wanted to show that she could put forth the same effort as Natsuki did for her.

Deep down in a place that she did not want to acknowledge, Shizuru knew that she was dragging Natsuki out on dates because she wanted to keep the principal away from Takeda. She did not like how close the two seemed and she did not like that Takeda was actually actively pursuing her lover. But then again, who would like someone chasing her love right in front of her face?

It did not occur to Shizuru to just tell Takeda that Natsuki was taken. She never had to deal with a creature like him before. Yes, men looked at her beloved, but no one ever chased before. Most men were not so dense that they did not understand what Natsuki was with Shizuru after meeting the couple. Takeda was obviously not like most men.

Making matters worse, but also kind of making them better, was the fact that Natsuki was just as dense…or so it seemed. Shizuru noticed that her beloved did not seem to pick up on the fact that Takeda was pursuing her. So, Shizuru did not worry as much as she would have if Natsuki really showed some interest in Takeda or some enjoyment in his actions. Unfortunately, since Natsuki did not notice he was interested in her, she did not know to distance herself from him.

A dark part of her mind, that she preferred to ignore, dared bring up the idea that Natsuki did know what Takeda was doing. The voice whispered to Shizuru, telling her that Natsuki liked the attention; it was different from her usual life and saved her from the drudgery that she had been complaining about before. Little by little, Natsuki was making her way to Takeda, which was why she spent so much time with him. Shizuru tried her best to ignore such a wicked, demonic voice.

Shizuru did not think that her actions to keep Natsuki away from Takeda were odd, even though she was making Natsuki take her places that she was well aware Natsuki disliked. She had already convinced herself that she was just doing it because she wanted to spend time with Natsuki alone. Forget the fact that she did that almost every day in Natsuki's office and when they got home.

She felt a need to keep Natsuki close. She felt a need to claim her Natsuki. So, she was dragging Natsuki around on dates that she usually would have let the principal wiggle out of. She felt good knowing that Natsuki would take her those places; it helped her know that Natsuki was still hers.

Shizuru hummed to herself as she moved around the kitchen. She was feeling rather good about herself as she went to work with her surprise. She would make Natsuki's favorite meal and even allow Natsuki to use as much mayonnaise as she wanted when they had dinner. Everything would be perfect.

--

Natsuki was taken from her peaceful slumber by the sound of the phone ringing. She shot up and looked around the room in a panic, not knowing what that sound was immediately. Once her mind told her, "Idiot, it's just the phone," she calmed down and turned to answer it.

"Garderobe, Headmistress Kruger speaking," Natsuki said while trying to ease her pulse back into its normal rate. Her eyes shot around, looking for the clock to see what time it was. Hell, she had slept her day away. Why had Shizuru not come in and woken her up?

"Natsuki-san," Takeda's happy voice rang through the phone. That through off her wonderings.

"Oh, hey, Takeda-san," Natsuki replied. She realized that the side of her mouth was wet, so she wiped her mouth; she had been drooling in her sleep, she noted with a frown.

"I'm glad I caught you. You like bikes, right?" he inquired. The question seemed to come out of nowhere, which might explain why she blinked hard when she heard it.

"Motorcycles, yeah," she answered. She did not like regular bikes, but motorcycles certainly did it for her.

"What about dirt bikes?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, those are cool too."

"Would you like to go to a dirt bike show with me?" he managed to ask without stammering. He had enough confidence now to speak to her without staggering about and sounding like a frightened or shy child. That came from walking with her in the park and going to the fair, gaining some familiarity with her.

"Dirt bike show? Yeah, I'd like to go," Natsuki answered with some enthusiasm. She would love to see some dirt bikes, especially after days upon days of art galleries and musicals.

"Great. It's tonight. I hope this isn't too short a notice."

Natsuki thought about it for a moment. She glanced at the clock again to make sure that her day was almost over and Shizuru had not come in to bug her about a date. She was actually free for the night, she realized. She could go see dirt bikes!

"No, it's not. I can come. Where is it? Where should I meet you?" she asked, trying to keep her composure, but some of her excitement was sneaking into her voice.

"I'll come get you. I have to go see Kyoko tonight, so I'll be in your neck of the woods," he informed her, keeping his tone even, although he had picked up on her happiness. He was grinning to himself, thinking that he had just gotten points with her. It helped his attitude that she agreed to go on what he perceived as a date.

"That's fine," she replied, smiling widely.

"See you then."

The pair hung up on that note. They saw each other soon enough when Takeda showed up at her office to pick her up for their night out. Shiori happened to be working at the time and could barely speak as she watched Natsuki leave with Takeda. When the Pearl did manage to open her mouth, it was only to gape because her brain could not figure out exactly what she should or could say.

"If Shizuru comes by, tell her I'm going to be out for the night, but I'll see her later," Natsuki instructed her young receptionist.

"Um…yes, ma'am," Shiori forced out. She really wanted to yell at the principal and demand where Natsuki thought she was going with that man when she was supposed to be with Shizuru-onee-sama! But, not too many students had the guts to yell at the principal; Shiori certainly was not among the numbers of students that would even consider yelling at the principal.

Natsuki was out of sight before Shiori had a chance to say something more coherent, like ask if the principal really wanted to leave such a vague message for Shizuru. She guessed that it was up to her to try to salvage the note and save Natsuki somewhat. But, when Shizuru did show up, Shiori decided once again that the principal was on her own. The Pearl did wonder if it reflected poorly on her personality to continue to abandon a principal that she actually admired and loved.

"The principal left with her friend Takeda Masahi for the night. She said she was going out for the night and she'll see you later and that's it," Shiori explained in a business-like tone, hoping that would save her from an inquisition.

Shizuru kept her usual pleasant smile on her face that just came naturally when she was dealing with students. On the inside, that fire ignited like an explosion and burned everything in its path without prejudice. Her heart seemed to be flare up like the sun and it was not from love.

"Thank you, Shiori-chan," Shizuru said in an almost sickeningly sweet tone with a similar smile. She then calmly walked off, much too calmly. The room seemed to freeze in her wake.

Shiori gulped and a little voice in her head that she was certain was guilt told her that she just got her beloved principal killed. Another voice shut that one up by telling her, sure, Natsuki might die, but at least she would still be alive. Besides, Natsuki brought it on herself.

"Rest in peace, Principal," Shiori said, bowing her head in prayer. She was sure that the Second Column was not going to see another sunrise.

--

The door eased open quietly, as if it knew not to betray the person entering. Natsuki sort of slid into the apartment as if she was a phantom. She was surprised to find the lights on, suggesting that the person she was looking to not disturb was actually still awake. Her suspicions were confirmed when she glanced toward the dining room to see Shizuru sitting at the table with melted candles and cold dinner for company.

Shizuru's face betrayed no emotions that she was feeling. Most people might have at least thought something of her sitting so still at a table with used candles and untouched food. Natsuki's mind was not quite right enough to pick up on that; between her time out and her already muddled thoughts from lack of sleep, she only saw the surface of things. On the surface, Shizuru looked normal.

"Shizuru, what're you still doing up?" Natsuki asked, sounding quite normal, borderline happy. She had just had a grand night out watching dirt bikes.

"Waiting for Natsuki of course. I wanted to have dinner with her, as Natsuki might guess," Shizuru commented in a dangerously calm tone while motioning to the plates on the table with a graceful sweep of her hand.

"Oh. I didn't know you made dinner. I ate already," Natsuki answered as if it was nothing. All junk food too. Hot dogs, popcorn, nachos with melted cheese, and even a slice of pizza; all which were washed down with just cup after cup of cola. She probably took years off of her life from the things she ate that night. Did she care? Nope.

"Ara, ara, did Takeda buy Natsuki dinner?" Shizuru inquired, a glint in her eyes that made them seem like they were turning into glass.

"Yeah, I guess," Natsuki answered with a shrug. If everything that she ate counted as dinner, although he did not buy all of it. He surprised her with much of the food, though, bringing her food when he went to get his own.

"So, then Natsuki enjoyed her date with Takeda while leaving me here all alone?" Now, there was an edge to her voice, a vicious edge.

"It wasn't a date," Natsuki argued with a weak huff. What the hell was with Shizuru always teasing her and calling her time with Takeda "dates"? They were sort of friends and that was it, Natsuki mentally insisted.

"Oh, no?" The fair-haired woman craned an eyebrow. By now, her love was picking up on her tone and that furious glint in her blood-colored eyes.

"No. Look, obviously, you had something planned and I'm sorry I missed it. So, can we just drop it, so I can go to bed?" Natsuki huffed. She was not in the mood for a fight because she was tired. She had had a nice night and, sure, she had gotten a decent sleep in her office, but it was still late and she did have work in the morning.

"It's not just that. Natsuki is always off with Takeda—" Shizuru did not get to finish that one.

"What the hell? I'm always with Takeda? I haven't even seen the guy since the day we went to the fair and you were acting like a total nut," Natsuki stated. Her brain commented that she probably did not need to add that last bit, but it was already out there. She decided to blame the careless words on fatigue.

"You were flirting with him then," Shizuru suddenly said with grit in her tone. Okay, that had been on her mind a little bit. Natsuki was kind of coy with Takeda, especially when they walked in the park and a few times while they were at the carnival.

"Flirting? With him?! Are you out of your mind? The tea fumes have finally gone to your frilly brain!" Natsuki huffed, wiggling her fingers in the air as a gesture of fumes.

"You were," Shizuru stated firmly while climbing slowly to her feet. Most enemies would have thought to flee the battlefield by now. Kruger did not run from serious battles, even those with her lover. She could not always let Shizuru think that she was right, especially on a subject that was so personal.

"I wasn't, but I guess everything looks like flirting to you, doesn't it?" Natsuki remarked with an accusing glint in her emerald eyes.

"Don't try to play the innocent now. You're not as dumb as you pretend to be," Shizuru replied harshly, face growing dark and tense.

"You say that now, but not even two days ago, you were pretty much saying I'm nothing more than a stupid hick that probably wouldn't know art if it bit me on the ass!"

Shizuru folded her arms across her chest and looked her love dead in the eyes as she responded, "You said it, not me."

Natsuki growled. "Excuse the fuck out of me for not being for some high-class, highly cultured piece of shit country to get bullshit art!" Look, it was one thing to attack her, but it was quite another to go after her home. Sure, it was on the outskirts of civilizations, but she took pride in it. They had good people and it was a nice area and she would be damned if she was going to let anyone, even Shizuru, talk badly about it.

"Ah, yes, please, continue to casually swear, as that helps you look cultured," Shizuru quipped, mocking smile painting her lips now. There was a superior look in her eyes now.

"Oh, fuck you. You're gonna stand there and judge me because I went out to see something I wanted to see after you dragged me to all those bullshit places. Fuck you. Oh, wait, I do that on command already, don't I? Maybe that's it, isn't it? I fuck you right now and that'll make everything better," Natsuki said, pointing a finger at Shizuru; her trigger finger for the most part.

Shizuru flinched at the words. Her face faltered from her smile and she actually looked offended, frowning deeply. "As if I would let you rub his dirt onto me."

It was Natsuki's turn to look insulted. "Contrary to whatever the hell is going on in your obviously fucked up head, I haven't touched him like that. I haven't touched him in any fucking way that you seem to think."

Shizuru rolled her eyes and turned away for a moment. Natsuki felt a flare inside of her that caused her body to tremble for a second from fury. She could not believe that what was being implied, what she was being accused of. Shizuru seriously thought that _she_ was cheating?! Shizuru, the freaking Queen of Flirting, thought that _she_ was cheating?! Shizuru, who did God knew what with that bitch Tomoe, thought that _she_ was cheating?! Oh, that was just rich!

"You know what, I don't need this shit. Let me know when you're done being fucking crazy and then we'll talk," Natsuki said abruptly. Seriously, she was not in the mood to hear such stupid things when she could actually be sleeping. Besides, how does one argue against a woman that thought she was cheating when the one undisputable fact disproved that insanity wholly? She could still materialize, use her Robe, and had nanomachines like always!

"Let me know when you're done playing the innocent child," Shizuru countered with a snap.

Natsuki snarled and stormed over to the door. She opened it and slammed it as hard as possible, hoping that she knocked something off of the wall in doing so; forget the fact that the stuff on the walls were just as much hers as they were Shizuru's. Once outside, she realized that she did not know where she would go, but just the same, she was glad to be away from that maniac she was in a relationship with.

At the same time, inside the apartment, Shizuru's mind seemed to return to her. "Ara, ara, what did I just do?" the Graceful Amethyst wondered while feeling like her Otome title was very much a lie right now. There was nothing graceful about that.

--

Next time: The couple seethe while being apart. Will they kiss and make up this time or is it really over?


	15. Broken

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

15: Broken

Shizuru stared at the door of the apartment that she typically shared with Natsuki. It was generally a warm place, filled with kind emotions, even when the couple was having a tiff. The air of the place itself was typically as loving and embracing as Natsuki herself, but that was not the case now.

The difference now was that it was late that night and she was alone. Natsuki had fled after they had a rather stupid argument; Shizuru could only admit that it was stupid in retrospect and because it meant that she was going to be sleeping alone that night from what she could tell. She could already feel loneliness nipping hungrily at her soul and the atmosphere of the apartment was not helping.

Gloom seemed to have taken the principal's place, camping out in the home, exercising some form of squatters' rights. A chill circulated through the place as the lights seemed to dim, maybe it was just her eyes. But, it was like being in a cemetery now.

"I should be happy she's gone. Troublesome brat that cares more about Takeda than she does about me," Shizuru grumbled, trying to hold onto the anger that put her in her current situation because she wanted it to be justified. It was scary thought to realize that she just chased off her one and only love over something so stupid as Natsuki going out to watch dirt bikes and missing a surprise dinner that could have easily been heated up for them to share when Natsuki came in.

If she could not hold onto that anger, then it appeared that she was wrong. That she had lost her legendary calm at the one person she should be able to be gentle and understanding with at all times was just not right unless Natsuki had been the one that was wrong. So, she had to hold onto that anger and reminded herself of the problem at hand.

"Natsuki is the one out dating…men. Natsuki is the one acting like she doesn't know she's flirting with him right in front of me. Natsuki is the one sneaking off for walks in the park with him when I'm out on missions. Natsuki is the one that is ruining things between us because she is the one sick of this life," Shizuru told herself, which was helping to keep that almost painful fire burning in her belly.

The Third Column started shaking as her eyes stayed fixated on the door that Natsuki exited out of a couple of minutes ago. Her throat seized up like a clamp had been put around her neck while it seemed like her nerves could not stop sending signals to her muscles, causing her body to tremble more. Her hands balled into fists so tightly that her manicured nails bite into her palms; she did not register the pain.

Natsuki was the one that was making her feel so horrible, she mentally insisted. Natsuki was the one that was making that horrible flame flare higher and higher in her body, charring her insides and her very soul. It was all Natsuki's fault, so she was right to be angry and she was right to yell at the younger woman.

"A troublesome brat indeed," Shizuru stated, nodding for her own benefit. Deep inside of her, her heart clenched tightly due to her comment and harsh feelings toward her beloved. The organ was quelled when Shizuru glanced over at the table, her dinner effort untouched and cold; a snapshot of her love's betrayal.

How could Natsuki just leave her without saying anything? More over, how could Natsuki just leave her to go out with _him_? It ruined what she wanted to be such a romantic evening.

The more she thought about, the more upset she became, which caused her body to shake like a thin sheet of paper in a storm. Her fists tightened, blood dripping down her knuckles, which she took no note of. She could barely see straight as she went to what she now considered a mess, which was her well-thought out, romantic dinner. When she started to clean up the table, she had the urge to break all of the dishes, but she was unaware that her emotions had shifted.

How could Natsuki leave her to be with _him_? Okay, so she had been taking Natsuki on a bunch of dates that she knew would not hold Natsuki's short attention span as it was, but she had genuinely wanted to be with Natsuki. Was her presence not enough for Natsuki? Was she not enough for Natsuki?

The thought was like a dead-center shot to the forehead, complete with her head jerking back. She was not enough for Natsuki? Blasphemy! Well, she would like to believe it was blasphemy, but circumstances seemed to be proving otherwise.

"But…Natsuki is mine," Shizuru whispered weakly as she had to brace herself against the wall. She wrapped her arms around herself, actually taking notice that she was shivering now; hugging herself did not help cease the shaking, though. Her eyes flashed momentarily before being covered by her hair; the crimson-colored gems appeared to be rather moist. Apparently, her anger was giving way to sorrow. "What can I do to keep my Natsuki?" she asked whoever might have an answer for her.

--

"Damn that woman!" Natsuki swore as she punched a shadow-covered wall in the empty, dim hallway. She hit it hard and the sound echoed loudly through the corridor. Ignoring the pain in her hand, she now wondered where the hell she was going to stay for the night. "Why the hell did I leave the apartment? Those are the principal's quarters and I'm the damn principal!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

She mussed her own hair, rubbing her head as if that would ease her frustrations. A vein bulged and thumped from her forehead. She could feel a headache coming on, yet still did not notice the agony drumming in her abused hand. That would explain why she hit the wall a second time, just as hard. Her hand now a dull red, hummed with pain.

Natsuki was not sure what come over her. She had been rather happy less than thirty minutes ago. She had eaten her fill of junk food, saw some dirt bikes racing, cheered in a crowd over the races, and thought that she was going to get a good night's sleep against the warm form of the woman that she loved. Instead, she came into a damn battleground where the first shots were fired at her by the woman that she loved.

Words flew like vicious bullets, but it was like she was firing into a crowd from a distance. The words did not hit their mark; after all, Natsuki was not cheating. Still, Shizuru managed to make wounds. Natsuki was certain that she had just left that battlefield with more injuries than she should; she felt like she suffered from an emotional limp from shrapnel that exploded from her beloved.

"What the hell? She actually thinks I flirt with Takeda? She's out of her mind. I'm just friends with him. What the hell?" Natsuki wondered, brow wrinkled from aggravating thoughts hounding her mind.

The principal rubbed her forehead, trying to wrap her mind around what just happened. Apparently, her loving girlfriend thought that she was cheating with Takeda. Where had she gotten that bizarre idea? Natsuki could not figure out. Sure, she spoke to Takeda a lot, but she was not around him much. Okay, they went out a few times, but there was nothing to those times. Cheating with him? That was just plain insane, to Natsuki anyway.

Why the hell would Shizuru think that she was cheating with him, Natsuki wondered again. She was not sure if she had ever really touched him in anyway, so definitely not in a sexual way. She knew that she never looked at him as any more than a friend. When he was not in sight, she did not even speak highly of him, she recalled. So, why would Shizuru think she was cheating?!

"To hell with all of that. I'll figure this shit out later. For right now, I just want to take a shower and go to bed," Natsuki muttered in a tired tone, shaking her head a little. She still was not sure where she was going to bed down for the night. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. She looked at the keys and a light bulb went off in her head.

Natsuki had the keys to Shizuru's apartment. She could spend the night there; it was better than trying to stay with anyone. She could imagine all of the "trouble in paradise" remarks she would get if she tried to room with someone.

She took the quick trip to those quarters. She made sure to be quiet on the way, not wanting anyone to know that she was in the halls now that she realized she would have to explain herself. She was not sure when the last time was that she was inside of Shizuru's apartment. She turned on the lights and looked around. Most people would be surprised to see what Shizuru's place looked like. It was pretty bare, as if no one ever lived there.

Most of the Shizuru's things were down at the principal's residence. Pictures, plants, even dining-ware, all down at Natsuki's place. It did not matter, all Natsuki required was a bed, which there was.

The bed was like the apartment, bare; no linen, no pillows. Natsuki did not care. She showered and flopped down into the naked mattress. Sleep did not come easy and it had nothing to do with lying on a nude bed in just her underwear. There was turmoil in her whole being, churning and grinding against everything that made up who she was. Did Shizuru mean those things she said? Probably, her mind affirmed.

"She thinks I'm just some idiot kid cheating on her with Takeda. I don't care," Natsuki declared, speaking into her arm since she was using it as a pillow. "I don't care what she thinks. I mean, what the hell? She yells at me because I go out with a friend and she thinks I'm the one cheating when she bats her eyes and shakes her ass at every pretty girl that walks by. Fuck her," she declared, having actually said that last part to Shizuru's face a number of times not even an hour ago.

Despite her declaration, she still was not able to sleep. The room received her words, but her mind did not seem to accept them, continuing swirl around what just happened. She wondered what possessed Shizuru to say such horrible things to her. She had been quite accommodating toward her lover for the past couple of weeks all for it to blow up in her face for missing one surprise dinner? She supposed that it was just the climax of all of Shizuru's weird behavior.

Did it explain Shizuru's weird behavior, though? Not in Natsuki's opinion. It just sounded like a lot of insanity to her. It did not link up with all of the strange, boring dates that Shizuru practically forced her to go on. It did not match up with Shizuru playing babysitter with her. She could not figure out exactly why the argument happened.

"Maybe she's tired of being with me and was just waiting for an excuse to blow up at me for us to end things. That would explain why she took me to all of those boring ass places. She was just waiting for me to say something, so she could go off and that could be that probably," Natsuki figured. If that was the case, she had given Shizuru what she wanted. "Fine, she doesn't wanna be with me anymore, I don't care. I've got better things to do with my time."

Better things were work, work, and work. Outside of work, Shizuru really was Natsuki's life. She never minded before, but she guessed that she was going to find to some better things to do now. She did not care; she would search high and low for something to take up her time now.

"I don't need her," Natsuki proclaimed with conviction. Still, sleep eluded her like a swift rabbit escaping a predator.

--(Next day)

Shizuru woke up alone; she had expected as much, but still, the absence of Natsuki left her feeling quite empty. She stared, burgundy eyes glued to the empty space that was Natsuki's; the principal had claimed a side of the bed because it faced the bathroom, giving her a direct run when she was late for work. Shizuru ran her hand over the space while catching some of the faint aroma that gently clung to that side of the bed as if for dear life.

"Natsuki…" she whispered, sadness dripping from her tone and invading her eyes. "What've I done?" she asked the air. The air offered nothing in return.

She had said such horrible things to Natsuki. Why? Why had she driven her beloved away? Because of that burning sensation in her gut; it made her so upset as it blazed so hot when Natsuki missed the dinner she prepared as a surprise because the younger woman was out with Takeda. She had been so irrational thanks to that fire. What was that fire?

"Why do I feel like this with Natsuki now? I've never had this burning in my stomach when she's out with people. I've never worried about losing her to people, even when we were younger and she was so close to Mai. So, why do I feel this way when she's friends, as she says, with Takeda?" Shizuru asked herself, sounding quite puzzled in her own mind.

The room suddenly felt cold, even though she was wrapped in a blanket. Her mind continued on, milling over why she kept feeling that scorching fire inside of her. Natsuki claimed he was just a friend, but Shizuru could not accept that explanation. Not just because of his behavior, but other features.

She knew that her feelings had to do with Natsuki complaining of her life not too long ago. Natsuki had lamented of being sick of being an Otome and Takeda certainly could relieve her of that problem if that was the case. Natsuki had also complained about being sick of her life, which Shizuru had worried included being sick of her and Natsuki's growing bond with Takeda seemed to prove that she was right to worry.

"I don't want to lose my Natsuki," Shizuru muttered, shaking her head vigorous. "But, I seem to have driven her away with such poor, distasteful behavior. I don't seem to know how to act around her anymore."

Shizuru reviewed her behavior, not just last night, but for a long time now. Her behavior toward Natsuki had been almost twisted, maybe even demented, ever since Natsuki started talking about being sick of her life. It was like she wanted to hold onto Natsuki by bring so normal that she was abnormal, by overdoing everything, and by clinging to the younger woman almost like a life-draining parasite. It certainly was not making things any better.

"I'm acting as if I have to force myself on Natsuki or she'll run away from me. I should know better. I should considering how long we've been together. I need some time to think and figure this all out. How should I act now? How should I feel about her being friends with Takeda? What should I do about this whole mess I've helped create?" Shizuru wondered, massaging her forehead as if that would help her think.

The fair-haired Otome suddenly rose from the bed and thought that it might be best to get away for a while. She would be able to clear her head without any distractions or confusion. Maybe she could go somewhere and even get advice.

"Who would be able to give me advice, though?" Shizuru wondered. She was not used to being bewildered, so she did not have many people that she was comfortable with telling her problems to.

For a brief second, she dared considered to go speak to Haruka. Despite their rivalry and Haruka's overall hotheadedness, they were quite good friends. She had known Haruka longer than she had known Natsuki, after all. But, taking advice from Haruka seemed like asking a dog to purr, even though Haruka seemed to have her relationship quite stable, especially when currently compared to Shizuru's own. Still, she would not go to Haruka for advice on what she should do with Natsuki anymore than she would go to a fish on advice on how to boil water.

Shizuru continued to think on where to go as she started packing. She doubted that she would be gone for too long, so she packed one suitcase. Well, she started with one suitcase. She felt her heart beating rapidly as she picked out clothing. She put her hand over that area, pressing her fingertips to her racing heart.

"I know it hurts, but this isn't leaving Natsuki. This is an attempt to keep Natsuki. Some space might do us good. We can cool down and hopefully smooth things out. I just need to get my thoughts together before approaching her again. After all, it would do no good if that burning sensation returned and I said horrible things to her again," Shizuru commented, hoping those words would ease her ailing heart.

Her heart seemed to understand and went back to a normal rhythm. Apparently, her whole body was in agreement with her because she was starting to feel better. She needed to get away for a moment and get herself together before she did lose Natsuki.

--

Natsuki glared at her paperwork as if it was some truly evil enemy and she desired to take her Element to it. A night of no sleep and her mind whirling over the negative things that she was sure Shizuru meant had left her more than her usual cranky. No, it was pretty certain that if the wrong person said the wrong thing to her that day, they would find themselves with a canon in their face.

Students that saw the principal in the hall when she was walking to her office seemed to sense that today was not a good day to do something stupid. They whispered it to their friends as a warning. Faculty noticed the same and whispered the same warning to their colleagues. There was a dark cloud surrounding the principal and no one wanted to know the extent of it.

The only person that braved going into the principal's office that morning was Miss Maria, to do her usual checks. Natsuki turned her head up like an alert tiger; she was actually expecting Shizuru to come in, just because that was habit. Her eyes locked with Miss Maria and for the first time, she did not flinch. Her glare was just as hard as the stone-faced Otome. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other, silence reigning over the room.

"Yes?" Natsuki inquired in something that went way beyond her usual business tone, but something that was hard and dangerous.

Miss Maria was actually taken aback by the cold greeting. Usually, when she came Natsuki made it a point to show that she was doing work. Right now, the principal was giving her a look that seemed to command "get out," although knowing how foul-mouthed the principal could be, she was certain there were some swear words in there too.

"I don't need you checking in on me, Miss Maria. I'm quite fine on my own," Natsuki stated roughly through gritted teeth when the older woman did not answer her question.

Miss Maria lingered for a moment, as if she was doing an appraisal of Natsuki. She recognized there was something about the principal, something feral. She could only wonder what it was and why it seemed able to level the school if Natsuki channeled it to do so.

Despite noting the aura coating the headmistress, Miss Maria seemed satisfied with what she saw because she did turn sharply and leave, easing the door shut on her way out. Natsuki went back to glaring at her work while making sure to focus on it and only it. She did not want to let Shizuru invade her thoughts or she would only end up cursing the older Otome out in her mind.

Still, the more work she did, the more severe the frown on her face got. She put so much pressure on her pen that it was clear that she was going to either break the tip on the paper, snap it in half with her fingers, or both. From the way her hand was starting to tremble, both seemed very likely. Cracks started to appear in the writing utensil.

"How the hell could she say those things? What the hell is wrong with her! I've stood by her through some really stupid things and she thinks so little of me?! What the fuck!" Natsuki screamed down at her desk. She slammed her fist on the desk, not breaking either by sheer luck. How the hell could Shizuru have so little faith in her after all the time they were together?! After everything that they had been through?! How could she?!

Natsuki punched her desk a few more times; it survived the onslaught, but her anger was not sated. She needed to hit something and she did not care if she broke her hand in the process. So, she stood up and intentionally punched her wall until she finally broke her hand. By then, she worked up a sweat and had exhausted her body. She dragged her still-vexed behind down to the infirmary to let Youko bandage the shattered attachment.

Natsuki just presented her hand, as if Youko was supposed to stop everything she was doing for the principal. She did just that when she bothered to glance away from her computer to see the bloody, crumbled body part on her desk. She looked up at the Second Column, who was looking away, her eyebrow twitching and a vein popping from her forehead. Youko quietly led Natsuki over to the examination table and gathered what she would need to help the younger woman.

"How'd you do this now?" Youko inquired curiously while properly dressing the injury.

"Who knows? Being a stupid hick, I'm prone to accidents," Natsuki muttered through gritted teeth.

Youko was not sure where that response came from and considered that it might be best not to ask. "Well, your hand should be healed in a few days. You're lucky you have the nanomachines or you'd be in a lot of trouble considering the damage you did here."

Natsuki scoffed; she did not care about her hand right now. Youko could saw the damn thing off and she would not even notice. All she wanted to know was why Shizuru said those things to her. Why did Shizuru think so poorly of her? What had she done for that to happen?

"I probably didn't do anything. Shizuru's just out of her damn mind," Natsuki mumbled into the air, her eyes looked out, focusing on nothing.

"What was that?" Youko asked, thinking that the principal might be talking to her.

"Nothing. Just thanks for patching my hand up," Natsuki said as normal as she could manage.

Youko nodded; something was wrong and something told her that she really did not want to know what. She finished up her job and watched the principal leave with her shoulders slump and dragging her feet, as if a ball-and-chain was attached to her leg. Something was definitely up and whatever it was, it was so heavy that the principal looked like she was physically weighed down by it.

Natsuki returned to her office to see new papers waiting for her. She frowned, thinking that it was more work. Instead, she found it was a sudden notice that Third Column, Meister Shizuru Viola, was taking some time off.

"What the fuck?" Natsuki mumbled to herself. She had to read it twice to make sure she was reading it right.

After seeing the paper, Natsuki left the office again, rushing off to her apartment that time. She hurried in, not bothering to call out for Shizuru until after she checked the whole apartment. When she called for Shizuru, she did not get a response. She threw open the closet doors and saw that a lot of Shizuru's clothing was gone; the older woman had taken them "just in case" since she really was not sure how long she would be gone.

"What the fuck?" Natsuki repeated in a desperate tone, running her good hand through her hair. "She left me. She left me. She left me…" She repeated those three words over and over again while staring at the half-empty closet in sheer disbelief.

--

Next time: Where does Shizuru run to? What does Natsuki do while Shizuru's away? Nao enters the story!


	16. Fear and loathing

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

16: Fear and loathing

Shizuru figured that she would go to the only place that she believed she could get some good advice and she decided that she was going to make the trip without flying. She needed sometime to herself to think. She considered that she might even be able to figure things out without getting advice; she just needed some time to think. So, she would take her time and if she still needed to talk to someone, she would have that person soon enough.

"What would all of the Corals do if they saw super-cool, powerful Shizuru-onee-sama walking to go cry on someone's shoulder?" Shizuru wondered as a joke to entertain herself. She quickly discovered that teasing herself was nowhere near as fun as teasing Natsuki. Teasing herself was not even a good distraction from the matter at hand. She needed to consider her behavior toward her dear Natsuki ever since Natsuki came to her with her "midlife crisis" because she did realize that was one of the reason that she was so bothered by Takeda's presence.

For some reason, she had not taken Natsuki seriously, even after the principal had run out on her that day after screaming at her. It was not that she did not take Natsuki seriously in general, but there was something about that particular thing that Shizuru just could not take seriously. She was not sure what it was, but something inside of her could not accept that Natsuki might honestly be sick of her and looking for a change in her life. Now, it seemed like Natsuki had the change in her life: Takeda.

Well, she could only think that he was the change considering how much time Natsuki wasted on him. She thought about how Natsuki was always on the phone with him…well, okay it was not always. It was just often in comparison to how much Natsuki was usually on the phone for personal reasons. And Natsuki was only out with him a few times, but it just seemed like more because most of those times were without Shizuru and those just made things seem worse to her. Still, he seemed to be the change that Natsuki meant because of the time that she seemed to be devoting to him.

The thing was that Shizuru was not sure if the change was as big as she assumed and she was not sure if she was reacting the right way toward the change. Was Natsuki dating Takeda or were they really just good friends? Shizuru assumed the former based on the fact that Natsuki had been out with him voluntarily quite a few times and talked to him on the phone more than she did her beloved big brothers. They seemed close, too close in her opinion.

Natsuki never seemed so close with anyone before, except maybe Mai. It was understandable that Natsuki would be close to Mai; they had been roommates for four years of their lives. Not to mention, Mai just had that sort of personality.

Natsuki had not known Takeda for four months and yet they seemed so close that it just did not make sense to Shizuru. Takeda also did not seem to have the same cheerful, magnetic personality like Mai did. Because of those reasons, it was hard to believe that the pair were just friends, especially since she knew that Takeda desired her Natsuki, even if Natsuki could not see it.

"But, how can she not see it? Natsuki is not stupid and, sure, she was naïve once upon a time, but that was a long time ago. Natsuki must know and even if she isn't dating him, she's encouraging his behavior, she's leading him on," Shizuru said to herself, which was not making her feel any better. It also was not helping her figure out what she should do to salvage her relationship, but those were the things that her mind continued to focus on.

The thoughts festered in her mind and rotted what common sense she seemed to have. She needed help. She continued on her journey, recognizing that she required assistance.

--

Natsuki could not believe that Shizuru left her. She could not believe that the older woman left without a goodbye, without a warning. If her hand was not already broken from punching a wall, Natsuki would be wailing on the nearest wall in anger.

Instead of punching the wall, as seemed to be her new habit, she just seethed where she was standing. Her eyes peered into the closet, glaring daggers at the side that once was her beloved. Her jaw was tight and her good hand was balled into a tense fist, which trembled with emotion.

"How could she just leave?" the principal muttered in a lost, sorrowful tone. She dropped to her knees and was ready to cry, feeling almost like it was the end of the world. Only Shizuru had the power to make the great Second Column weep.

The love of her life had walked out on her, thinking that she was a cheater, thinking that she was unfaithful. Her insides quivered and felt almost like they might liquefy at any second. Her throat seemed like it might melt into her stomach and then everything seemed to swirl in a churning pit.

Well, it hurt for a moment before her anger began to conquer her troubled heart because she recalled what Shizuru thought of her. Shizuru for all of her flirting had the nerve to think that Natsuki was the one that was cheating just because she had gone out with Takeda for a couple of times. Why lament the loss of someone that thought that she was liar, a deceiver, a traitor?

"I should be happy she's gone. I should be happy I don't have to put up with her insanity anymore. I should be happy…" Yet there were tears in Natsuki's eyes and she had to hug herself to prevent her body from shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.

Shizuru was the only girlfriend that Natsuki ever had in her life. Actually, Shizuru was the only person that she had ever been in a relationship with. Natsuki doubted that she was closer to a person than she was with Shizuru. She was not sure if she ever would be closer to another person…and yet Shizuru thought so little of her. The thought made burning bile rise from the pits of her stomach and she was very much in danger of throwing up.

"Why am I letting her affect me like this? She was such a bitch and then she left. Why should I be hurt? She was a bitch. So, I should be happy," the principal told herself again, practically growling in her own head as if that would motivate her to be happy. It was not working.

She should be happy that Shizuru was gone. She was free. No more girly dates, no more sex on demand, no more accusations, and no more abuse. She did not have to worry about loving someone that flirted with everything that moved, despite how it made her feel. She did not have to worry about Shizuru playing with her emotions.

"Things are better this way," Natsuki told herself, using her commanding principal tone in her own mind, which worked just as well as growling did.

The Second Column forced herself off of the floor. She squared her shoulders as she climbed to her proper height and then took a determined walk to the bathroom to get in the shower and hopefully the hot water would wash any remaining troubles that she had with Shizuru. She figured that the best way to get Shizuru off of her mind was to do things that she enjoyed, so after she got out of the shower, she played some video games well into the night. She ordered some takeout for dinner, making sure to put as much mayo as she could on the meal. She then purposely took up the whole bed when she went to sleep that night, making sure to stretch out like a lazy cat while she was at it.

"I think I feel better," Natsuki said to herself as she got dressed for work in the morning. She said it to herself about a dozen times from her apartment to her desk, making sure she had a gooey, sugar-covered pastry for breakfast.

The principal went to work for a while, focusing on papers and having a brief meeting. Suddenly, out of nowhere when she thought her day was going smoothly, thoughts of Shizuru tried to creep into her mind again. Just the idea of her lover, or former lover as she seemed to be now, brought a frown to Natsuki's face. She was determined to keep those thoughts away, so she quickly sought out a solution. She grabbed her phone and dialed the first number that came to mind.

"Takeda-san?" Natsuki asked when the phone as answered.

"Natsuki-san, how are you?" Takeda countered; he was smiling on his end. It was very rare for Natsuki to call him. He took it as a very good sign.

"I'm fine. I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"Of course not! I'm glad to hear from you. I was wondering how you liked the dirt bike show."

"I loved it," she answered honestly while sitting back in her seat. She had had a wonderful time, only to be upset when she went home. Stupid Shizuru sucking the fun out of everything, she thought with contempt.

"I'm glad you had fun. Maybe we could go out again sometime," he proposed in an easy voice, with some anxiety buried underneath that ease. He hoped that he was not pushing his luck trying to take her out again in the same week. He noticed that she tended to spend a lot of time with Shizuru, who he still thought was her best friend.

"That's sort of what I was hoping. Are you free?" she inquired, not caring how she sounded.

Takeda's heart was ready to explode in his chest. Was he free? For his angel, hell, yeah, he was free! He would run to her right now if that was what she wanted; well, drive to her since it would get him there faster.

"Yes, I'm free," Takeda replied with composure and well under control. He did not want to seem too eager. She might get the wrong idea, after all.

"Well, do you want to do anything?" she asked since he was not offering up a solution to her problem yet. She needed to do something to keep Shizuru off of her mind and, really, she needed that something fast.

"Well, the dirt bike show left last night. If you want, we can go to the movies or something," he suggested. He really did not have a better idea because she was putting him on the spot.

"That's fine. That's totally fine," she agreed immediately.

Takeda was speechless for a second; he could not believe she agreed to that. "Great. I'll come and pick you up, okay?"

"Fine."

They talked for a little while longer; Natsuki was thankful for the distraction. She figured as long as she kept busy, then she would be able to forget all about Shizuru. So, she decided that she would go out with Takeda while she could, not on a date, but as two friends, she mentally insisted. She was just friends with him, after all.

"So, it's not a date. Just two friends hanging out, like I would hang out with Mai or…Mai," Natsuki said in her mind. Yeah, Mai was really the only person that she considered a friend. Everyone else that she knew were associates…or in Nao's case, an annoyance. Either way, she was friends with Takeda and nothing more. She was nothing like Shizuru suggested, she huffed internally.

So, as friends, the two went to the movies. Well, in Natsuki's mind they were two friends that went to the movies. Takeda took it as another matter, which was why he paid for the tickets, even though Natsuki protested.

"It's fine," Takeda insisted, facing her with a grin on his face as he was handed the tickets.

Natsuki just sighed and dropped her shoulders in defeat, lacking the energy to put up any real argument. All she wanted to do was get into the movie theater and forget that there was an outside world. In the darkness of the theater with some constructed reality, she could pretend that Shizuru Viola never existed, that she never loved the "perfect Otome," and that everything would be just fine if she had enough distractions. It was the perfect plan.

--(New day)

Shizuru walked to her destination, more confused than ever. Apparently, spending time by herself was not the best way to solve relationship problems. She went over things over and over so many times that everything seemed so twisted in her brain that she had gone from blaming Takeda, to Natsuki, to herself, to anyone that she had ever met in her life because she was just going out of her mind.

She needed help, she repeated several times in her mind just to cease focusing on thinking of her problems. She required guidance. She had gone for those. She had gone to her onee-sama.

"Shizuru-chan!" Anh grinned brightly as her former Coral assistant stood before her. She threw her arms out as if she was going to move in for a hug, but she did not take the necessary steps for the embrace.

"Anh-onee-sama…" Shizuru whimpered, feeling her knees go weak and her arms began to shake from emotion.

Shizuru then did something that surprised them both: she collapsed onto Anh; it was a good thing her arms were already open or they both might have been slightly injured on impact. The Graceful Amethyst broke down into gut-wrenching sobs on the older Otome. Her shoulders rocked violently as she wailed; her cries coming from the bottom of her belly, sounding as if she was mortally wounded.

Anh merely hugged the younger woman and whispered reassurances to her without even knowing what the problem was. She held onto Shizuru, caressing her in a comforting manner, for the whole time that the popular Otome cried, which seemed like eternity to Shizuru, but was less than two minutes in reality. The most surprisingly thing, Anh's touch remained that of a caring friend.

"Are you done now?" Anh asked quietly.

"Quite," Shizuru answered with her usual dignity, even though she did not pull out of the warm, loving embrace.

"What would everyone think if they saw the always smiling, always composed Graceful Amethyst crying?" Anh's voice was gentle as always, matching Shizuru's usual voice; she was the source that Shizuru learned it from, after all.

"I don't care," the younger woman replied, shaking her head into Anh's neck.

The older woman looked down with skepticism in her eyes. "Now, what is that could make you not care?"

Shizuru shook her head again. Right now, all she wanted to do was bask in the warmth that was her Anh-onee-sama. She would tell the princess what went wrong later, but right now, she just wanted to be held. Anh did just that.

"Perhaps we should have some food before you explain why you're here," Anh proposed in her usual tone. She was making an effort to sound normal because she did not want to alarm Shizuru or disturb the younger woman anymore than she already seemed to be.

Shizuru nodded in agreement with that. The duo walked off, deeper into the princess' palace home. Anh saw to it that Shizuru ate, got cleaned off, and got into some comfortable clothing. They ended up in a large den, reclining on a pair of sofas once Shizuru was thoroughly taken care of. The couches were close together; the ladies could reach out and touch each other if necessary.

"Ara, ara, I'm surprised Anh-onee-sama didn't take advantage of my current condition," Shizuru remarked, a small smile painting her features, which were brightening somewhat compared to when she first arrived. She lacked the usual glow that she seemed to maintain, though.

"Shizuru-chan seemed so pathetic that I would've felt so guilty if I were to touch her. Not to mention, Natsuki-chan does have a temper and such a large gun," Anh countered, amused, yet innocent smile playing in her lips with a thoughtful finger to the side of her head.

Shizuru's smile dropped and Anh suspected that she had hit the problem already. Something happened with Natsuki, the older woman guessed. That would explain why Shizuru was bawling on her shoulder and requiring such a long hug. Something horrible must have happened.

"Is Natsuki-chan all right?" Anh inquired, some of her control slipping and concern etching into her voice. The first thought that came to mind was that Natsuki was injured somehow. She was not sure how the gun-happy principal might have been injured, but that was the first logical conclusion for Shizuru to be so upset.

"Natsuki is fine…" the Third Column replied, a somber look overtaking her rust-colored eyes. She looked close to bursting into tears again.

Anh considered the words and took in the sight of the younger woman. "As well as I know you, Shizuru-chan, it is still quite the trick to read your mind. Perhaps you should talk this one out, as much as you loathe saying what is in your heart."

Shizuru was silent for a moment, considering those words. Did she really loathe saying what was in her heart? She supposed that she enjoyed showing herself off as perfect; it was why she started it in the first place. She liked for people to think that she was perfect. She enjoyed having people admire her and have a good image of her. After all, who wanted people to think negatively of them?

Besides, her stance on the issue was that she was what an Otome was supposed to be. She presented the picture of style and grace. She was what an Otome was supposed to be, so there should be nothing wrong with how she was.

Shizuru took a deep breath. "I had a fight with Natsuki," she admitted in a near mumble.

"You've had fights with her before. I'll admit, as you two have grown up I've heard less of the epics that you were once famous for, but you've had fights before," Anh pointed out in a patient tone.

"This fight was one of the worse. I accused her of things," Shizuru said cryptically, glancing away as she confessed that.

"You accused her of things? How about you start from the beginning and talk me up to the fight?" Anh gently proposed. Shizuru nodded and decided to start from the beginning, which she believed was when Natsuki started going on about being sick of her life because that was the first time that she forced out acting normal to avoid dealing with the issues.

--

Nao yawned as she exited a bar, letting her gang go for the night. She needed to get back to the school before someone noticed that she was missing and ratted her out. She could have gotten a ride, but she liked taking the walk back. It allowed her to clear her head or go through any information that she might have learned that night. Right now, she was just looking to enjoy some time alone since nothing really happened that night.

She leisurely strolled down the typically empty road toward the school, nothing particular on her mind. And then suddenly, she noticed something odd out of the corner of her lime eyes. For a second, she thought that her eyes were blatantly lying to her, so she went in for a closer look; she had to make sure she was unseen in case she was right. Upon closer inspection, she found herself to be right.

"You old hound dog, you," Nao remarked to herself as she saw the principal of Garderobe walking down the street with Takeda, whom Nao did not know. She just knew that the Second Column was on the arm of a man and it was not Shizuru in drag or something else equally ridiculous.

She would not have thought much of it if only Natsuki was not out in her street clothes rather than her uniform. She might have considered a few things because of how close Takeda was. She followed behind them for a while and took in his body language and the principal's body language to figure out exactly what was going on.

It was clear that Natsuki was comfortable with the man. She was smiling freely at him; well, as much as she did smile anyway. Her body was not tense as it had a habit of being around people while she was in a social setting. Her steps were light, but her shoulders were oddly squared, almost tight. Something funny was going on, Nao thought; beyond the fact that Natsuki looked like she was on a date anyway.

Takeda, on the other hand, was tense. Nao could tell his tension came from wanting to do things that were probably too forward to do with his "date." His right arm, the one closest to Natsuki, seemed to twitch every so often in her direction. Nao knew the desire to put an arm around a woman when she saw it. He wanted to hold Natsuki, but was keeping himself at bay.

"Smart move considering the fact that he'll lose that arm when Shizuru gets back," Nao snickered to herself. She knew that Shizuru was gone, as did the whole school, but she thought that it was a mission and not a personal leave.

The redheaded sparkplug thought that she might have to follow the Otome couple around when Shizuru got back, just so she could see the massacre of the guy trying to put the moves on Natsuki. She then imagined the fireworks that would go off when Shizuru found out that Natsuki was allowing a man to get close to her. She was almost already laughing wickedly in her head at the thought.

Nao continued on following the pair. Natsuki seemed to sense her presence, glancing back every now and then. Takeda thought it was strange and considered that Natsuki might be uncomfortable. The first thing that came to mind for him was to comfort her by putting an arm around her waist. He pulled her to him, pressing her against his surprisingly firm chest.

Natsuki was about to bark at Takeda and pull away, but she stopped herself. What did she need to pull away for? She was single now, so it was not like she was cheating. Besides, it was kind of nice to be embraced by someone. She actually missed being able to physically lean on someone; it had been weeks since she last even touched a person outside of shaking hands. He had been the most constant presence and thankful company through so much loneliness.

Nao's mouth practically hit the floor when she saw that Natsuki was allowing that man to hold her. Now, she knew the principal was an idiot, but was she really stupid enough to let some guy touch her like that? Shizuru would flip. No, no, no, the redhead's mind said. Something was wrong. Something just was not right and she was going to find out what.

--

"So, basically, the problem here is that you're scared," Anh said to Shizuru after hearing the whole story. She said it with such ease that it was almost hard to fathom and her former charge looked as if she could not comprehend such simple information.

"Scared?" Shizuru echoed as if she did not know what the word was. Was it even a word? If her tone did not convey her skepticism enough, there was always the bland look in her eyes that almost seemed like a scoff in its own right.

"Yes, you're scared," Anh repeated, calm and gentle as ever. Her voice was almost like music, even now.

"What have I to be scared of?" the younger woman inquired, almost daring her onee-sama to respond.

"Why losing your beloved, of course. Being left behind by her. That's the fear and that's that feeling you complain of, that burning. You're scared that she's going to leave you. The fear made you angry, jealous, and very much irrational, which manifested themselves physically in your body, making you feel sick. You should have spoken to Natsuki about this fear," Anh said, almost laughing. Like she could not believe Shizuru never thought of that.

Shizuru was set to protest that she did not have any fear, but she swallowed that down. She did not come to argue. She came for help and that was what she was receiving, blunt, yet charming help.

"I didn't understand it. I didn't know what to do…" Shizuru practically whispered to the air more than the princess.

"I know. How were you supposed to know? This has never happened before. You've never had to worry about Natsuki leaving you behind," Anh replied.

"I thought that I was over it when she told me it was a silly thought that she had, leaving her life behind, doing something different. But, then Takeda showed up right after Natsuki starts talking about not wanting to be an Otome anymore and they somehow ended up so close…" the crimson-eyed female trailed off.

"And you misread the signs and handled things wrong. Shizuru, it's all right to be frightened. You can't let the fear control you, though. You have to stand strong on the battlefield. You also have to bring the right tools to fight," Anh quipped, smiling slightly.

"And what tools should I bring?"

"Your voice. You and Natsuki need to revamp your lines of communication. She's scared too, I'm sure. You tell me that she blew up on you when she told you about perhaps being sick of her life. It probably took her a lot of courage to tell you. You should've been honest with her then instead of teasing her. I know it's easier to tease than to tell what's really in your heart, but she put herself out on a limb and you should do the same. Despite the fact that you've been together for so long, she can no more read your mind than you can hers. Yes, I know there are moments when you do know exactly what she's thinking, but that's from familiarity, not telepathy. Now, I don't think that one fight is going to be the end of this intense love affair that you two have been carrying on since your teens, but you can severely damage it if you don't try to right the course in a better manner," Anh informed the younger woman. Her voice was even and calm through out the speech.

"Thank you, Anh-onee-sama. I suppose I have taken some things for granted and I've fought for Natsuki in the wrong way. I knew that much, but I could not fully understand what I had done wrong."

"Sometimes it does take someone on the outside of the situation to help. But, you know there's no reason to thank me, Shizuru-chan." Anh flashed a smile that many assumed Shizuru held the patent on.

Shizuru only smiled back while placing her fingertips to her heart. Fear? Was that the fire inside of her, slowly killing her? She supposed so because ever since Natsuki brought up the idea that she might be sick of her life, Shizuru had not felt like herself. She guessed now she might be able to explain it, explain her reaction to everything. She only hoped that Natsuki would listen.

--(New day)

Nao walked at the gate of Garderobe, listening for familiar footsteps. She fell into the line when the person that she was waiting for walked by. She grinned up at the principal when Natsuki noticed her. The redhead looked like the devil herself with the expression that she was wearing.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Natsuki demanded to know. She did not feel like dealing with Nao, but that was a given.

"Walking. Not a crime in this part of the world," Nao remarked with a smirk. She glanced out of the corner of her eye, taking in the way that Natsuki was dressed. A plain white shirt covered in a black vest with black slacks covered by a matching jacket; that was formal wear for the principal and Nao knew that. "Viola must be back and her little doggy must be running to her now," she teased, smirk growing with every passing second. She truly understood why Shizuru taunted Natsuki so much; it was just plain fun.

Nao got an unexpected reaction to her little teasing, though. Natsuki frowned deeply, tensing slightly too. She thought that Natsuki would yell at her, as the principal seemed to love to do. In fact, she liked the yelling too because it encouraged her to keep things up and continue to get the Second Column worked up. Now with the strange response, Nao wondered if her words were off. Was Viola not back? Was the principal off to rendezvous with that man from the other night?

"Or are you for seedier ventures?" Nao quipped with a devilish grin; right now, the devil would have fled in terror to see her expression. "I won't tell, you know." Like hell she would not tell if Shizuru came around asking the right questions with the right look in her eyes. Something about that woman sent a chill down Nao's spine, not that she would admit it; not that she could explain it either.

"Will you just go away," Natsuki ordered with a growl. Her frowned deepened into a fully functional scowl with a glare in her emerald eyes to accompany it. She seriously considered hitting Nao because she did not want to be bothered.

"I would say it's the latter. I didn't know the principal was such a bad girl," Nao teased. She waited for Natsuki to at least deny that she was going out with someone that was not her beloved Shizuru.

"Shut up and leave me the hell alone!" Natsuki barked as she increased the speed of her walking. She should have just taken her motorcycle, she thought heatedly. It would get her away from Nao at least.

"You're not the boss of me," the redhead replied, smiling all the way through while having to break into a light jog to keep up with the taller woman.

Natsuki let loose a feral noise that probably would have sent any wild animal fleeing in terror. Nao, however, stuck close. She actually walked with Natsuki all the way into town and to the restaurant that Natsuki planned to meet Takeda in. Nao saw the spiky-haired male sitting at a booth from the window; it appeared he was waiting for someone. Nao was speechless for just enough time for Natsuki to get away.

"I don't believe it. She really is out on a date…with a guy!" Nao muttered with forcing her eyes to go back to normal rather than looking as if they were about to fall out of her head. Something was up. Something serious was up. She needed to know what.

--

Next time: Takeda does something to Natsuki. Shizuru makes her return. Will the situation be resolved or will it just get stickier?


	17. Critical hit

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

17: Critical hit

Natsuki smiled as she sat down with Takeda for their dinner…date. She had been smiling at him a lot lately. She had even mentally conceded that she was dating him now. They had been out so many times that she could not fight against it, not when his hand reached out to hold hers, not when his arm circled her waist, not when he embraced her into his strong body and held her like she was the only woman on the planet. Things had been that way for a month; Shizuru had been gone a little longer.

She had not told anyone that Shizuru left her or that she was dating Takeda. How could she? It would be so embarrassing. She could picture everyone yelling at her too, probably taking Shizuru's side. She had a history of being the one that caused fights between them, after all; well, she would argue that she did not start the fights, but a lot of other people pointed the finger at her.

It did not matter anyway. She long ago decided that who she dated was not anyone's business. But, she did have a certain busybody stalking her now it seemed, namely Nao. Things were probably not going to be a secret for long.

Nao had followed her all the way to the restaurant that she was currently located. She left the redhead outside looking like a fish on dry land, mouth gaping, eyes searching for answers as to what the strange land that she was in, and brain trying to figure out which way was up. She could only wonder what havoc Nao would bring into her life, once the redhead's wits returned to her anyway.

"Are you okay?" Takeda inquired in a worried tone, speaking to Natsuki. He reached across the table to take her hand. He silently noted how much he enjoyed feeling her hand in his own.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Natsuki replied while resisting the urge to pull her hand back. She had to mentally tell herself that it was all right for him to hold her hand and she needed to leave it there. Once that decision was made, she then felt the warmth of being touched by him.

Part of her thought it was strange for her to still think to pull away from after so much time together and so much contact. Another part of her thought that it would be even stranger if she ever did get accustomed to being touched by him. The thought actually frightened some area of her soul that she wished to ignore; that part just could not imagine Takeda replacing Shizuru. Natsuki figured that was just the contentment bred by familiarity and it would go away sometime soon.

"That's good. I was hoping everything would be fine. I don't want you to feel sick or something tonight of all nights," Takeda said in a bizarre, almost smooth tone. He wore a small smile, looking quite relieved that she was all right.

That seemed like a weird thing to say, Natsuki thought, craning an elegant, raven eyebrow. Oh, wait, no, she recognized sentences that started like that. Ten years of being with Shizuru had trained her to know that she was forgetting something important…well, important to Takeda anyway.

When she was with Shizuru, Natsuki had a system of "important days" and "important days to Shizuru." Important days were the ones that she had a habit of remembering, like their anniversary or Shizuru's birthday. "Important days to Shizuru" were strange anniversaries, like their first kiss or something that Natsuki was not keeping track of at the time, so she had no clue what day it happened. She only knew of their existence through little hints in Shizuru's words and behavior. Typically, by the time she realized just what was going on, she had to scramble for a gift to avoid looking like a complete and total asshole, in her opinion anyway. She supposed that she could go about forgetting the important days no matter what now since Shizuru was gone.

"You know, being with you, spending time with you, and doing so much with you, has been the best part about being here. I'm glad I met you," Takeda said, caressing her hand with his thumb.

Her heart beat faster, pounding against her ribs like a demented drummer. She was nervous for some reason, she realized. Something about the date was somehow causing anxiety to build in her system. She thought that it was because of Nao following her, undoubtedly seeing who she was with. Who knew what Nao might try to do with such information, after all. Well, maybe she just hoped that was why her nerves were on edge because she did not really want to consider that his words and tone could be affecting her in such a manner.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Takeda inquired again, sensing her discomfort through the simple connection of their hands and the almost panicked look in her eyes.

"I'm fine," Natsuki lied in a strong voice. Something was wrong. She did not feel right, but she was not too sure what to do.

"Maybe we should hold off on doing anything tonight. I'll take you home," he suggested, soft concern etched in his features.

"No. I'm fine," Natsuki insisted, sounding almost angry because he would not let the matter drop. She was fine. She was not going to run away from something that she was actually enjoying just because Nao might talk about her in some way.

"Okay."

The couple went onto have a normal dinner. There was some conversation, but not much. Things were like that between them much of the time. Natsuki preferred things that way; that was how she interacted with most people, after all. Takeda, much of the time, were not too sure what he should talk about with her outside of casual things, like work, the weather, or their homelands. It seemed like enough for them.

It was a warm night, so Takeda proposed that they go for a walk in the park when they were done with their meal. Natsuki did look back to see if the Fourth Column was following her. She made a mental note to hurt Nao when she got the chance just for bugging her in the first place.

Takeda did not seem to notice her distraction. He was rambling on and on about something. Natsuki joined in mentally when he was already deep into his monologue. She picked up that he was talking about customs in his homeland. She was not sure what brought him to the subject, but she just let him go since he seemed so content to talk. She kept her ears focused on trying to catch Nao in the act of spying.

With half her attention on Takeda, she knew to stop walking when he did. She registered that his speech had grown lower and she turned her eyes to him, wondering what he was speaking about now. He held her hand in his, caress the top of her hand with his calloused thumb again while going into his pocket with his free hand.

"You're become very special to me, Natsuki-san. You're just the type of person I want to send the rest of my life with. This is why I asked your father for permission to marry you," Takeda said.

Those words caught Natsuka's full attention, causing her to turn to him with horror-filled jade eyes. Her body tensed while she hoped to the heavens she heard him wrong. Asked her father for permission to marry her? What the hell! Damn it, she could guess how that went. She was about to pull her hand away, but his grip tightened, holding her firm as he pulled out a small ring box.

"He gives us his blessing," Takeda informed her, which she already knew and that explained why she wanted to scream.

Natsuki imagined her father turned back-flips when Takeda contacted him about marrying Natsuki. Her father always feared that she thought she was a boy thanks to her brothers. With such thinking, her father concluded that Natsuki would never actively search for a husband; marriage was, of course, just as important where she came from as it was anywhere else in the world.

And then to make matters worse, her father heard about how some Otome had relationships with each other; women coupled with women was not something that went on where she was from. In fact, women coupled with other women were damn near unimaginable where she was from.

It all balled into a fear that her father had that she would grow old and grey alone with no kids…or something like that. She had not quite figured out his problem and never really devoted a lot of time thinking about it, but the old and alone thing was about as far as she figured. In short, her father worried about her, like any other father. Never mind that she had brothers to carry on the family name; her father just wanted to make sure that there would be some man around to take care of her. She, of course, thought that was stupid.

But, then again, a lot of things were stupid in Natsuki's opinion, especially right now. She thought it was stupid that Takeda would go right to her father and ask for her hand in marriage. She thought it was stupid that her father would agree with her marrying a man that he never met, even if she was dating him. She thought it was stupid that by custom of her land, she would have to listen to her father. And the stupidest thing of all, why the hell would Takeda want to marry her after dating her for such a short time?

Natsuki really wanted to pull her hand away as Takeda slid the ring on her finger, but she felt oddly detached from her body, overwhelmed by everything that was happening around her. It was like she was watching the scene outside of herself, like it was a bad movie. She was staring at herself and screaming run, but like in a movie, the character did not listen to her.

"Be my wife, Natsuki," Takeda requested, but he did not give her a chance to answer. He pulled her in for a long, passionate kiss.

Natsuki, in shellshock for the most part, did not move with the kiss. She stared, jade eyes wide with sheer terror on the ring on her finger, as her mind registered what exactly happened. She was engaged?! What the FUCK!

--

Nao had abandoned her plan of following the principal after finding out the older woman was going on a date…with a guy. It seemed like a foreign concept and hurt her brain quite a bit. In fact, she had to massage her temples for a while to fight off a headache thanks to that information.

Yes, it had been her plan to marry a rich guy through being an Otome, but that was her and this was…well…Natsuki. Not to mention, the guy did not look rich and from what she could tell, Natsuki seemed to enjoy being an Otome, especially since she got to be around her precious Shizuru, without whom it seemed like Natsuki could barely function even on a basic level, in Nao's opinion anyway.

The whole concept was just mind-blowing for Nao, who by now thought that she knew the principal pretty well. She did not know what to think or do, so she just started walking home. The night air did not offer her any clues or ideas as to the explanation behind what she witnessed. The gentle darkness did not offer anything either. Everything was still and confusing.

"What the hell was Kruger doing? She couldn't really be cheating on Viola?" Nao tried to convince herself. She pitied Natsuki if she was cheating because surely when Shizuru found out, there would be hell to pay.

Nao had heard the phrase "speak of the Devil and he will appear somewhere" and for a long time, she wondered what that meant. She suddenly knew the answer because while pondering if Natsuki was cheating on Shizuru, she ran into the returning Otome right outside the school grounds.

Nao stopped dead in her tracks while staring at Shizuru's back. She considered turning around and walking away for a brief moment, but Shizuru turned around and spotted her. The Third Column smiled her usual polite, very fake, smile, which Nao returned with a very false smile of her own.

"Damn it. Act cool. She doesn't know and you don't wanna be the one to tell her," Nao said to herself in the safety of her own head. She could not help wondering why she was so unnerved by Shizuru. Sure, she knew that the older woman was a powerful warrior, but there was something more to it than that. After all, Natsuki was a powerful warrior too, but Nao taunted Natsuki all the time and never thought twice about it. There was just something about Shizuru that was so creepy that it made her skin crawl sometimes. Maybe it was something in those eyes, those eyes colored the same as blood.

"Good evening, Nao-san," Shizuru greeted the fellow Column. They knew each other well enough where she was comfortable being somewhat informal with Nao, who was the same with her in the redhead's unique way.

"Hey," Nao replied, giving a small wave to go with the simple greeting. "I thought you went out on a mission. Just getting in?" she inquired, making sure to act casual. She was doing a good job.

"Yes," Shizuru answered with a small, barely audible sigh. She had actually been standing there in front of the school for about twenty minutes now. Her heart raced, wondering what waited for her when she got to the place she saw as home. Was this fear also? She was willing to bet that it was and she was going to have to face it; she knew that.

"Shouldn't you be going in, so your dog can jump on you and lick your feet…or other places?" Nao remarked, smartass smirk on her face now. Right, play it normal, she told herself. Play it normal, ease into the school, and figure out how much just how much she should sell the tickets to the end-of-the-world-battle that would end in Natsuki's death when Shizuru found out what was going on.

"Nao-san, we've been through this," Shizuru commented, polite voice in place. Nao was familiar with the little edge that Shizuru put in her voice as a warning, which the Fourth Column tended to dance around. She knew that edge meant danger, though.

The redhead rolled her eyes and then looked down at her nails as if she did not care. "Whatever. Well, it's late and there's no one out here to beat up."

Nao decided to go inside on that note. She felt a bit guilty because she had not said anything. She knew if it was anyone else, or any other time, she would have hinted, teased, and danced around the subject for her own amusement; but, not now, and it was not because she was afraid of Shizuru. She just could not bring herself to tell Shizuru that Natsuki was out with someone else, for several reasons that she would rather not consider because she did not want to seem soft, even to herself.

Nao felt some disappointment as she returned to her apartment. She had always been a little skeptical on love, especially after seeing how people behaved in the streets. She had resigned herself to landing a rich man to live comfortably for the rest of her life because that seemed like what marriage should be about and what it was about a lot of the time from what she could tell. She thought that girls that wished for love were silly, goofy, even idiotic, but then she saw Shizuru and Natsuki.

The redhead did not know how Shizuru and Natsuki got together and she really could not guess, but she could tell that they loved each other. Despite their faults, they stayed together through it all. They supported each other through almost everything and they seemed to genuinely enjoy being with each other. What could be going on with them that was driving Natsuki into the arms of a man? That was really the amazing thing and she just could not figure out what could bring about the situation.

Nao figured that if someone was going to cheat in that could, it would be Shizuru. The woman could not help herself when it came to flirting, after all. Plus, she was the social one out of the two. Natsuki seemed more likely to pull a gun on someone than to accept a date from the person.

"Well, it's a crazy world we live in," Nao told herself as she disappeared into her apartment. It certainly was a crazy world.

--

Shizuru had not made it inside the school yet. A soft breeze moved her hair from time to time, but that was about the only thing on her that did move. Her body refused to move from the front gate and she stared longingly at the buildings as if it was a place that she could never enter again. She was trying to figure out the best way to approach Natsuki, but the right words were not coming to mind.

The fair-haired Otome did not have to figure out how to approach Natsuki after a few minutes because Natsuki was approaching her. She noticed the principal out of the corner of her eye and she turned to look down the dimly lit street. Her throat seized as she realized that Natsuki was not alone. Takeda was by her side with his arm around her waist.

That all too familiar fire roared to life inside of Shizuru in a manner that would have put the sun to shame and it shone in her rust-colored eyes. He was touching _HER_ Natsuki? And then to make matters worse, Natsuki was clearly allowing it? What the hell?!

The Third Column's hand shook, begging to materialize her Element. She would like nothing more than to sever his arm to get him off of her Natsuki and then she would take his head off with her bear hands. She resisted the biting urge, reminding herself that it would solve nothing. She was supposed to talk with Natsuki.

Natsuki noticed Shizuru from yards away. She stopped in her tracks and locked eyes with the older Otome; neither of them could read the other's expression for the first in a very long time. Takeda wondered why she stopped and looked ahead of them.

"Takeda, I'll see you later," Natsuki stated in a monotone voice, but it was clearly an order to get lost. It went over his head.

"You sure? I got no—" Takeda's offer to walk Natsuki's to the gate was cut off at the knees.

"I'll see you later," Natsuki repeated in a cold as she started taking steps forward, eyes locked on her perceived ex-girlfriend.

Takeda considered that the two "friends" might have private matters to discuss. He had noticed that Shizuru had not been around lately. He now considered that Natsuki might have been ditching her "friend" to hang out with him; the thought filled him with pride. He was so important to Natsuki that she was putting her friend on the backburner for him. He was close to smiling as he thought about it.

"I knew it was a good decision to ask her father for her hand in marriage," Takeda commented to himself. "Hold on, Natsuki," he said while reaching out to grab her hand, halting her forward progress.

Natsuki turned around, ready to bark at Takeda for keeping her from unfinished business, but she did not get the chance. He silenced her with a short kiss that she was too stunned to return. The kiss was something like a peck on the lips, but that was about all they ever did on the rare, very rare, occasions that they did kiss. Takeda thought that it was Natsuki's chaste side that caused her to kiss in such a way. It was sweet in his opinion; his angel was so pure.

He did not seem to notice that she was not returning the show of affection. He also did not notice the evil aura flaring violently, almost uncontrollably some yards away. He probably would have fled in fear of his life if he did notice the aura down the way.

Natsuki could feel the pressure crashing against them from the end of the block, though. It was like being beaten with an enormous, metal, spiked club. It did not go away when Takeda pulled his lips from hers and bid her goodnight. She then turned to face Shizuru again, eyes locking on the taller woman as if they were about to face off as enemies.

The Garderobe principal squared her shoulders and marched over to her ex-girlfriend with strength in her stride, like a gunslinger in the Wild West. Shizuru kept her eyes locked on her love, but she also squared her shoulders. Her body was taut and her insides were raging like an out of control mad bull.

"He's kissing _MY_ Natsuki?!" Shizuru's brain screamed, reliving the event already, even though it happened seconds ago.

"So, you finally decided to come back," Natsuki commented dryly as she stood before Shizuru. The principal folded her arms across her chest as she came to a halt, confidence in her stance. She recognized the outraged glint in her former lover's eyes, but she did not care that it was there and probably directed toward her.

"And I see things haven't changed, except you've become more brazen with your dating," Shizuru retorted calmly, a monster-like smirk on her face. There was some small piece of her that could still reason and was scolding her because that was not what she was supposed to say! Unfortunately, that one bit of mind was being blocked out by the rest that was roaring for blood after seeing that man's mouth on _HER_ Natsuki.

"No more brazen than you with your flirting, and at least I've got the decency to do it with someone I'm in a relationship with," Natsuki countered damn near smugly. She threw a little more attitude into her stance and her eyes seemed to declare "beat that!"

"Relationship?" Shizuru echoed almost as if she did not know what that was; her forehead creased as she took that in. Wait, her Natsuki was actually dating Takeda? Her brain almost could not fathom it, even though she feared it happening.

"Not that you even get a say in anything anymore. After all, you're the one that walked out like a damn coward. You could've at least told me to my face that you were leaving and that you didn't want to be with me anymore. But, you don't care much for telling me the truth anyway," Natsuki continued on, sensing that she had the momentum, but she accidentally gave her ex-girlfriend an in on the discussion.

"You call me a coward? You walked out on me," Shizuru pointed out, emphasizing her point with movements from her hand. Her voice was a near growl from the anger that she was feeling that was so overpowering that it felt as if it was directed at everything in the universe.

"Because you were talking bullshit like always," Natsuki snapped back quickly, making a tense slapping motion to the air.

"Ah, yes, the adult casual swearing. How I miss this." The sarcasm practically dripped out of her perfect mouth as Shizuru spoke those words. She rolled her eyes to add to it.

"Oh, what, we're gonna retreat to this 'I'm a brat' bullshit too? You're like a fucking broken record. I don't have to stand here and take this shit from you anyway. You had no right to say anything that you said to me considering the way you've always behaved, okay? I wasn't doing shit with Takeda until you walked out on me. You can't say the same thing about all of the girls you've been with though, can you?" Natsuki huffed, glaring at her ex with such venom and hatred that she doubt she would be able to scream enough at the older woman.

Shizuru was taken back by the implications there. "What are you saying?" she demanded to know as her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

"Oh, you mean the highly sophisticated Shizuru Viola doesn't get it? Maybe it's because I'm just a stupid hick, so let me say it plainer for you, you fucking whore," Natsuki stated with cold deliberateness.

The plain, hard words actually hit them both at about the same clip as a speeding train. Despite all of her cursing and barking, Natsuki had actually never said that phrase before and to say it to Shizuru seemed otherworldly. It was like she could not even believe she said it; surely that was someone else's voice that just sounded like hers calling the love of her life a "fucking whore." But, she found out that it was her voice because she kept going despite the shock. There seemed to be just too much to say to stop for one thing, even if it was something so troubling.

"You're the one that's always hugging up on people, touching people, kissing people. Who even knows what the hell you did with Tomoe! She was your number one fan-girl, after all. The little crazy bitch probably had all kinds of freaky fucking ideas that you were happy to go along with! You even blatantly admitted that it was fun! How the hell could you stand there and look at me and tell me that it was fun!" Natsuki demanded to know, pointing to herself, hitting herself in the chest rather harshly with her index finger, while tearing welled up in her eyes, which seemed to crack as she spoke of Tomoe.

"Natsuki…" The name was whispered, as if saying it too loudly would shatter them both. Shizuru was not sure what to say from there. It was just so apparent that those words had been boiling in Natsuki since the incident and she had no defense for it, except that she was teasing. That was not a valid excuse or a good defense.

"Do you have any idea how much it hurts to love you? Do you?! Every day I have to look at people crowding around you, dying for your attention and I have to see how happy you are to give it! Every day I have to wonder if there's a Coral or a Pearl or just some woman on the street that interests you enough for you to walk off with! And now I have to find out that not only do I have to deal with all of that, but I know that behind it all you think I'm an idiot! So, now I have to wonder just how stupid am I because you more than likely have evidence to back up why you think that! So, now I wonder to myself, over these ten years how many people have you been with while giggling that Natsuki's too stupid to figure it out? And the icing on the cake, you actually think I was the one that was unfaithful! What a laugh!"

Natsuki's body started to tremble and shake as she quieted down. The tears building in her eyes silently fell down her cheeks as if they were proud criminals in a front of a firing squad. Shizuru was quiet too, taking in all of that. She flinched when Natsuki locked eyes with her again, fire in those emerald orbs now, even with the water still pouring out.

"So, like I said before, Shizuru, fuck you. I don't have to take your shit anymore. You can go and bone as many girls as you want now. Sure, you won't have me to laugh about while you do it, but at least you can do it more openly now. Hell, you can even go find Tomoe if you want. She can be your new Natsuki. Your new pet. I'm done with it," Natsuki stated with a sweep of her hand as she began walking, going passed Shizuru as if the older woman was a post.

"Natsuki…" Shizuru repeated. She had no idea that those things had been on Natsuki's mind.

"Your stuff is all in your old apartment. I hope you remember where to find it," Natsuki said venomously while continuing on her way. She made sure to move fast, not wanting to hear from Shizuru.

Shizuru watched Natsuki's back as she left. A small voice in the Third Column's head told her that was not supposed to go like that. A tear falling from her eye signaled her agreement; it was not supposed to go like that. She was not supposed to lose Natsuki, especially not like that.

--

Next time: some brooding and contemplation as to what the hell is going on.


	18. Sick and tired

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

18: Sick and tired

Shizuru was standing in the doorway of her apartment, staring in like a stranger in an unfamiliar land. She had actually forgotten what her quarters looked like. The dull lighting from the hallway was not helping refresh her memory.

She had not been in there in years; ever since Natsuki became the Second Column, actually. They had agreed to live together even before Natsuki totally knew what she had been called back to Garderobe for back when she was being appointed to the open Column spot. They had both been surprised to find out that Natsuki was also going to be taking the principal's place when the raven-haired Otome returned. When Natsuki became the principal and Second Column, things just worked out well for them, giving them the chance to live together much sooner than they planned.

And now, Shizuru stood looking into what felt like a stranger's home, despite some of her personal items being around the place. Still, odd smelling, dull brown boxes stared back at her with impersonal, imagined eyes. There was no familiar warmth to the place. The bland walls almost seemed to demand that she get out, but she did not have anywhere to go.

She believed that she now knew what the sound of loneliness was as she stepped into the apartment to hear her soft footsteps echo through the empty space and come back to her ears as if they were louder than a jackhammer. Her hand was gentle as it eased the door closed, yet for some reason the soft "click" sounded like she slammed the door. For a few seconds, she feared moving anymore, believing that she might make herself deaf or drive herself insane from the noise.

"Maybe I'm already insane," Shizuru whispered to herself before having to swallow down sorrow and bile rising in her throat.

She more hoped that she was dead instead of insane. What would be the point in living if she could not have her Natsuki with her, after all? What was the point of anything if she could not hold the younger woman in her arms on a cold night and feel Natsuki's warmth against her wanting flesh? What was the point in anything if she could not see love in her Natsuki's eyes anymore?

"Why couldn't I just talk to her? Why couldn't I just tell her not to leave me? Why couldn't I just act better when we were together?" Shizuru wondered as she roamed her apartment in a near daze. Nothing was registering to her mind and she did not know where she was going; she might as well have been in a plain white field as far as her perception was concerned.

Her heart felt like it was trapped in barbed wire, which tightened with every breath that she took. She eventually stopped walking in the apartment and she had to brace herself against a wall. She wrapped her arms around herself as her body started to tremble and shake. She wanted to cry, but no tears fell, although sobs did escape her throat. She felt so lost knowing that her Natsuki had been taken from her because of her own poor actions and Takeda's somewhat aggressive behavior.

"And I don't even know how to go about getting her back. She thinks so poorly of me and thinks that I believe her to be stupid. How can I even go about proving her wrong, showing her that she is my one and only love?" Shizuru asked herself while holding herself even tighter. She felt like she would literally fall apart if she did not hug herself to stay together.

For right now, in her weakest moment, everything felt lost to Shizuru. The fact that Natsuki had been so outspoken against her was causing her the most grief. As if being called a "fucking whore" by the love of her life was not enough, Shizuru also could not stand that Natsuki even thought that she might have ever been unfaithful. Everything that happened between her and Natsuki that night felt like a million pins in her already wounded and bleeding heart.

"Natsuki…" Shizuru gently whispered to the air as if she was saying a prayer.

--

Natsuki found herself frustrated for a reason that she refused to acknowledge. She thought that a hot shower would take her mind off of things, but even the heated jet stream of water did not ease the burden that weighed on her. Apparently, the water could not soothe what felt like a two ton elephant off of her shoulders, no matter how hot she made it.

Even when the water was scolding hot, her brain barely registered it. The only thing on her mind was the problem that she would not address, yet it ripped at her mind like a rusty chainsaw, slicing away all other thoughts and leaving behind her worries. It was odd that she was managing to ignore it, but it was still bothering her.

She felt strange. She was angry, of course. Her screaming at Shizuru and the words that she used had proven her anger, not to mention some underlying pain that had been hibernating under her skin for a while now. There was more to her current state than anger and pain, though.

Her heart seemed to quiver, not beat. The rhythm did not even matter, though it, too, seemed off. If she did not know any better, she would think that she was having a heart attack. The only reason she knew that she was not having cardio problems was because her left arm was not numb; her whole body ached too much for anything to be numb.

It was like she was going to be sick, a quake in her stomach and a whimper in her throat supported that theory. She brought a hand up to her neck and rubbed her neck, as if that would ease away the sickening feeling that just conquered her body as if it was an all-powerful military and she was defenseless.

"What's wrong with me?" Natsuki wondered, closing her eyes as if that would help her think or at least dispel the ill feeling rising in her system. Why did she feel like more than anything else, she wanted to cry?

Despite all of the things that she said to Shizuru, she knew that some part of her still wanted to run to the older woman and be held by her, be loved by her, and love her in return. The same part wanted to hold Shizuru, make the fair-haired Otome feel like she was the only woman in the world. A part of her just wanted everything to be all right between her and Shizuru. She tried her best to ignore that piece of her, nagging at her, gnawing at her like some starved rodent.

"Why would I still want her? She's only going to offer me more heartache, pain, and suffering, and I know that," she told herself.

She knew that being with Shizuru would only equal more agony. She thought about each time that she had to watch Shizuru smile at someone; sure, it was that fake, I'm-just-being-polite smile, but the person hardly ever knew that. Shizuru led people on, which was just as bad as actually being interested in them as far as Natsuki was concerned. After all, she always had to worry about what if Shizuru did become interested in someone. What if Shizuru wandered after becoming interested?

Besides, all of the flirting did make it seem like Shizuru did not consider her feelings at all, Natsuki thought. Not to mention, Shizuru teased her mercilessly and endlessly, it seemed much of the time anyway. Shizuru had even recently taken to saying borderline cruel things to her. Who needed that kind of pain and torment in her life? Natsuki decided she certainly did not need to put up with that anymore. She had Takeda now and he was nothing like Shizuru. No, Takeda was nothing like that.

Takeda never flirted with other women. He paid Natsuki complete attention and seemed to take her seriously; not that they had had many in-depth conversation, part of her mind dared to add. She shook that thought away and continued on mentally listing his finer attributes.

He did not tease her, taunt her, or say horrible things to her. He did not drag her on boring dates that he knew that she did not care about. He was practically the anti-Shizuru, which made him perfect in Natsuki's opinion at the moment. And yet, she was not too thrilled about the fact that she was engaged to him. She felt like she could crack her father's skull because of that.

For the moment, Natsuki tried to dismiss all of her problems, knowing that she would not be able to sleep if she let everything dwell on her mind. Still, thoughts of Shizuru and conflicting emotions coursed through her soul. Thoughts of Takeda and the engagement only made matters worse. Sleep did not visit Natsuki that night.

Waking nightmares were her company as the shadows seemed to mock her. Her ears desperately attempted to catch noises from the outside as a distraction, but nothing would drown out her thoughts. She could only hope that she was actually sleeping and she would soon wake up from the nightmare that had become her life. How else could she be engaged? It had to be a dream, she tried to convince herself. It just had to be.

--

Shizuru did not leave her apartment in the morning, nor did she plan to leave anytime soon. She needed time to get her thoughts, mind, and emotions together. She needed to be able to stand up before she brave going out into the school, showing the world her pretty fake smile, and pretending that she was not dead on the inside thanks to losing her dearest one to that jackass boy Takeda.

"What does Natsuki see in him anyway?" Shizuru asked herself, sounding quite bitter in her own head. She was curled up in her bed, which had one of her favorite lilac bedspreads on it. She was surprised to find the sheets and covers there when she went to bed last night. Apparently, Natsuki had not been so upset with her that the principal could not make her apartment somewhat comfortable for her return.

Things went beyond her favorite bedspread being on her bed. Her favorite teas were put away in the cabinets instead of left in boxes. There were a few dishes out, so she did not have to hunt for them in the containers around the apartment. There were a few other necessities and small comforts left out for her. Just looking around at the setup, an outsider probably would never believe that Natsuki was vexed with her.

"But, she is and she sees something in him that obviously drew them together. What does he have that allowed him to take her from me?" the ruby-eyed Otome wondered while focusing on the blank, white ceiling.

She supposed that if Natsuki was angry with her as the younger woman seemed to be, and she put no doubt that Natsuki was, considering the things that she said, Takeda offered many things that Shizuru Viola did not. Takeda did not seem like the type that teased, nor did he seem like the type to openly flirt with girls. He probably was not competent enough to flirt with anyone.

Shizuru would like to argue that much of her flirting was more to tease Natsuki than anything else; that and just the way that she was when she was around certain people. She did not care about any of those girls the same way that she did about Natsuki and she knew that would always be the case. If only she could make Natsuki believe that.

"What am I going to do?" Shizuru pled to the still air, which she was aware held no answers.

She wanted her Natsuki back, she knew that much. She was not just going to lament for her whole life and give up without a fight, no matter how what Natsuki said or did. It just was not in Shizuru to do such a thing. She knew that she just needed to figure out a plan of attack.

"For right now, Natsuki seems to be quite angry with me. I should at least give her some time to cool off."

She did not want to run the risk of them having another fight. She needed time, too, because she had to adjust to the idea of Natsuki being with someone else, especially Takeda. That way, when she finally did confront Natsuki, she would avoid blowing up again like she had those first two times. She needed to be calm, rational, and able to speak like a civilized being the next time that she saw Natsuki.

Until then, she figured that she would be safer in bed. She put her fingertips to her heart and massaged the area slightly. She felt such a pain there and she knew that no amount of rubbing was going to soothe it away. She put her head down into her other hand.

"I made this mess. I brought this on myself. I need to fix this. I need Natsuki back with me, always with me. I will do anything to keep my Natsuki," Shizuru whispered to the air as if it was a prayer. She was telling the truth; she would do anything for Natsuki, even wait until Natsuki realized that they belonged together. She just loved Natsuki that much.

--

Natsuki sat at her desk, unable to concentrate on anything. Her eyes were on some documents, but they did not see anything. She would probably be surprised to know that there was a paper even in her hand. She would also be surprised to know that her hand was trembling, but it was shaking as if she was facing her death at that very moment.

Her mind was racing, thinking about everything that happened once again. It felt like she had thought about things an infinite amount of times already. She had broken up with Shizuru, or Shizuru had broken up with her; she was still not quite sure what happened and how with that. They were done, though; that much she was sure of. She was engaged to Takeda thanks to her impulsive father, who was probably dancing with her mother to know that some man on the planet actually wanted their little tomboy. She had screamed at Shizuru, calling the one-time-love-of-her-life a "fucking whore" and probably crushed the older woman horribly. Her life was changing, rapidly, and she was not sure if it was for the better.

Being engaged to Takeda was certainly not something that she would choose, she figured, if given the chance. She did not have a choice in that, though. Where she was from, her father's word was law, not just because he was the king, but because he was her father. In her homeland, daughters were supposed to obey their fathers. While she liked being with Takeda, there was something about him that warned her away from being tied to him for the rest of her life.

Soon, she would have to give up everything in life that she was accustomed to. She was going to lose her Otome powers once her father started pushing for the wedding; right now, he was just happy to know that she was engaged and was not barking about anything else, but she knew that would not last for long. Despite never asking to be an Otome, Natsuki thought it was a cool gig, especially considering the huge cannon she got a chance to wield when the chips were down.

Given a chance to think about it, Natsuki supposed that she enjoyed being an Otome and really did not mind being forced into it. It was exciting to save the world, on occasion, or to save small groups of people, which was what happened more often than not. It was gratifying to do some good in the world; yes, she used to be a delinquent, but that just meant that she liked breaking the rules or having a little outlawed fun. She always did like doing something good…every now and then anyway.

Being an Otome had also allowed her to meet Shizuru. Sure, they were going through a lot of turmoil now, but Natsuki's heart was willing to recognize how much good it had done her to meet Shizuru. Shizuru opened her up, allowed her to trust someone outside of her brothers and let her experience emotions that she did not even knew existed. Too bad some of those emotions consisted of a pain that she would not wish on her worst enemy.

Still, she had had plenty of good times with Shizuru, her mind pointed out. Great times, her heart chimed in. All sorts of tender affection and brilliant companionship came to her through Shizuru. Their relationship came from being an Otome. Other relationships, friendships, came from being an Otome.

No, she did not want to stop being an Otome, at least not yet. Maybe somewhere in the future she would be all right with it, but she was not all right with it now. Her father would not listen to that, she knew; well, really, neither of her parents would listen to that. Her father would still be reeling over her getting engaged, even though it had been his idea for her to become an Otome in the first place. Of course, he had not been counting on her becoming a Column and working for the Shinso instead of her home country.

Her parents had forced her to become an Otome and now they were forcing her to get married. She doubted that things were going to work out as well with the engagement as they did with her becoming an Otome. She was not really looking to find out.

Natsuki sighed as her heart beat in an irregular manner. It was a discomforting sensation that hurt her whole chest, lungs, ribs, and all. She swallowed, hoping to ease that pain, but it only spread to her throat, seeming to crush everything in her neck. She rubbed her throat, making the agony rise to her head, pounding in her thick skull. She was ready to fall out seconds later before her whole body hurt.

She felt so confused. Things were wrong, she concluded. Something was wrong, everything was wrong; she was not too sure which it was. She needed something to get rid of the pain and she was not too sure how. She actually felt like she needed a hug; it was not as weird as it sounded as it happened on occasion in her life. She was human, after all.

Later that night, Natsuki got what she needed… Well, she thought that she got what she needed. She ended up going out on a date with Takeda. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him as soon as they were together. She pressed against his body and discovered something quite shocking, although at the same time, it was not shocking at all. His body did not bring her the comfort that she was familiar with when it came to needing a hug.

Her brain did a bold, distracting thing and quickly compared his body contact to what she would feel if she was hugging Shizuru; Shizuru was the only reference she had for such a thing, after all. There was no rush of reassurance, unlike that which usually came with Shizuru's embraces. There was not comforting ease from his presence. There was no calming warmth from his body. No gentle caress that promised everything would be all right as long as she stayed right where she was. Nothing, nothing at all came with Takeda's embrace except a tight hold on her body that made her want to pull away most of the time.

Would his kiss be the same, Natsuki wondered. She really had no urge to find out. They had kissed a few times since they began dating, mostly through his initiation. The kisses were never more than pecks and often Natsuki turned her head, so that they landed on her cheek. That was all she was willing to offer, so she knew that she was not going to find out if his kiss was the same as his hug anytime soon.

Really, she knew that if she turned her head most of the time that Takeda tried to kiss her, his kiss could not compare to Shizuru. She never dodged a kiss from her former lover. Even when they were out in public, Natsuki would just pretend to resent the public display, but she would let Shizuru kiss her in almost anyway the older Otome desired, as long as it was not too scandalous.

"Are you all right?" Takeda asked in a soft tone while leading her into the movie theater. They were just going to catch a movie that looked good; there were a bunch of explosions in the ads and that was enough for Natsuki to be curious. It was enough for him too.

"I'm fine," Natsuki lied with a smoothness that would have made Shizuru proud.

"That's good," he replied, not digging any deeper.

Shizuru would have known it was a lie, Natsuki's brain pointed out. She shook that thought away; Takeda did not notice the motion. It did not matter what Shizuru would have known, the principal reminded herself. She was done with Shizuru and she was with Takeda now. There was no changing that.

Natsuki tried to relax through out the movie, which she did not pay much attention to. Her whole mind was focused on trying to act normal. She seemed to be doing a good job because Takeda did not ask about if she was all right anymore.

Takeda was just happy to be there with Natsuki, his new fiancée. The thought brought a smile to his face that he never wanted to leave. He was engaged to an angel, _his_ angel. He could not wait to tell everyone that he knew. He could not wait to show off that he was engaged to just about the most beautiful woman that he was sure the world would ever know.

He took her hand in his and held it tightly. She noted that nothing passed between them. There was no warmth, no spark, no anything, except for what would come from holding hands with anyone.

"And my father wants me to marry this man?" Natsuki wondered, almost contemptuously. She could not figure out how it would work as she thought about it more and more. She could not figure out if she honestly could go through something like that. She could not figure out what she should do.

At the end of the movie, they went to dinner, as they usually did. Takeda talked, but nothing really registered to Natsuki's mind. Lately, things had been like that. He talked and she wondered what the hell he was talking about.

"What the hell is wrong with me? I was all right going out with him until the damn engagement thing…wasn't I?" Natsuki asked herself. She was not too sure about that now that she was thinking about it.

Did she mind dating Takeda before? She was not too sure because she remembered a lot of the time, she just went out with him to forget about Shizuru. She focused on him to forget about Shizuru. Well, was that it? She did not do that when she was hanging out with him when she was with Shizuru. She liked him, did she not? She could not figure it out.

Damn it, she was starting to confuse herself. She knew that she had a habit with over-thinking just about everything if she had a chance, and figured that she was doing that right now, more through nervousness than anything else. Still, that did not stop her from thinking and rethinking about everything going on.

Natsuki was able to make it through dinner without Takeda noticing just how occupied her mind was. He walked her back to Garderobe as he typically did when they went out on dates. He leaned in for a kiss, which she barely returned when his mouth landed on hers. No feeling there either, she realized. Something was off with things now. Something was not right. She went back to her apartment and tried to figure out just what was wrong, but nothing came to mind; nothing that she seriously wanted to consider anyway.

Nastuki's problems got worse that morning when she found out that her father announced to the world that she was getting married to Takeda Masashi. As soon as she saw the newspaper, which was at breakfast, she felt a headache coming on that felt her skull might split open. Calling in for work, crawling back in bed, and forgetting that the world existed sounded like a good idea right now.

Shizuru was in agreement with such an idea and she did not even know about the engagement yet because she still could not get out of bed.

"This is getting out of control…" Natsuki thought and she was not too sure what she meant by that. She just knew that everything that was going on in her life right now caused her nothing but pain and suffering. A strange thought crossed her mind and she did not know what to make of it: she wanted everything to go back to normal.

--

Next time: Mai shows up to beat some sense into Natsuki, quite literally.


	19. Better or worse

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

19: Better or worse

Natsuki was barely sitting at her desk for five minutes before her office door was kicked open. Only two people would enter the office like that; oddly enough, they were both redheads. Maybe the red hair made the people that possessed hardheaded and insane, she considered.

Natsuki hoped it was not a certain redhead with green eyes because she was not in the mood to deal with Nao at the moment. In fact, if it was Nao, Natsuki planned to greet her with a gun in her face; she was serious about that too. Her head hurt too much and her mind was in too much turmoil for her to be able to deal with that pest right now.

The other redhead came in, Mai. It was not a good day, it seemed. Not from the expression on Mai's face anyway. There was fire blazing in Mai's eyes that was brighter than the orange of her hair. A scowl tugged at the usually smiling face and Mai's stance seemed tight from a building fury. Natsuki considered that maybe she would actually have preferred if Nao was the one that came in.

"How could you do this without telling me?!" Mai demanded to know as she seemed to fly over to her friend without the aid of her Robe. She then began beating Natsuki in the head with a thick, rolled up newspaper.

"Ow! Why are you hitting me, you crazy woman?!" Natsuki inquired while throwing her hands up to defend her head. She did not do much more to fend off the vicious hits, which echoed through the large office, sounding almost as bad as gunshots.

"How could you get engaged and not tell me! You're a horrible, horrible friend!" Mai continued to beat the crap out of Natsuki as if she was a bad dog. She was not padding the slaps either, wailing on the principal as if she had a bat in her hands rather than a newspaper. If she did have a bat, she probably would have killed Natsuki already, which would not have stopped her assault.

"Cut it out!" Natsuki ordered with a snarl while climbing to her feet, thinking that standing her proper height would save her since she was taller than Mai. How wrong she was. Mai continued swinging on her, hitting her quite accurately in the head with the paper.

"What the hell is wrong with you! You've been in love with Shizuru for as long as I've known you and now you're engaged to some guy I've never even heard about!" Mai kept her furious attack going. She would teach her idiot friend not to do stupid things if it was the last thing that Natsuki ever did!

"Stop it!" Natsuki still had her hands up to block, but she could see that was not getting her anywhere. She caught the newspaper and yanked it from Mai. "What the hell is wrong with you?" the principal demanded to know with a huff and a glare.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?! How could you just go and get engaged without even telling me? And does Shizuru-san know about this?" Mai countered with a huff and a glare all her own. She sort of knew the answer to that, considering the fact that she was certain Shizuru would never put up with Natsuki doing something so insane, but still she wanted to hear it from Natsuki that Shizuru was unaware of what was going on.

"How'd you know about it?" Natsuki asked as if she was angry with her friend knowing, even though she had a clue as to how Mai found out.

"Oh, I dunno, maybe this!" Mai snatched back her newspaper and opened it right to the page that she needed to show her good friend.

Natsuki glanced down at the page and scanned each article to see which one had to do with her. There was a little article at the bottom of the paper explaining her engagement to Takeda Masashi. Damn her father spreading such news while she was going through mental turmoil thanks to his consenting that she could marry Takeda in the first place!

"Goddamn it!" Natsuki screamed while grabbing the paper, which she proceeded to shred into tiny pieces. It did very little for her frustration, but that did not stop her from tearing the paper apart.

"Well! What do you have to say for yourself?" Mai demanded to know, stomping her foot while she was speaking. She folded her arms across her chest and continued to glare sharp daggers at her good friend. She needed to hear a damn good explanation for the article in the paper or she was going to kick Natsuki's ass. Screw the fact that Natsuki did not seem thrilled over the announcement or the engagement, Mai still planned to whip the principal until Natsuki explained herself.

"What do you want me to say? My damn father made me get engaged!" Natsuki huffed, turning her nose up to show her aggravation with the situation. Okay, so she was not exactly telling the truth, but she really did not want to see how pissed off Mai would be when the words "I broke up with Shizuru" left her mouth. After all, Mai had been there in the beginning and she knew how they were better than anyone else.

"And since when do you do what people tell you to? How is Shizuru taking this? Haven't you thought about her at all?" Mai inquired in an accusing tone. Now, she knew that Natsuki was dense, but she also knew that Natsuki was not inconsiderate, especially when it came to Shizuru. So, something was obviously up.

Natsuki was silent for a moment. She had been thinking about Shizuru a lot more than she wanted to, especially since their last argument. The nagging anger was no longer eating at her, but there were lingering sensations that she could not put words to; sensations that she did not want to put words to. The feelings made her shiver as if she was marching into Hell without her GEM if she remained with Takeda, which she really could not understand. She wanted to chalk it up to the fact that she was nervous about being engaged and about her whole life being turned upside sown soon enough, but deep down, she knew that was not the case.

"It doesn't matter. I've got to do what my father says," Natsuki answered, as if that was an acceptable response.

Mai wished that Natsuki had not torn her paper up because she really needed something to smack the principal in the head right now. Instead of using the paper, she went with something old fashion: her hand. She slapped Natsuki right in what she considered to be a very thick skull.

"Ow! Quit hitting me!" Natsuki complained while putting her hand up to guard her head from her friend in case Mai had a few more hits in her.

"I won't until you explain to me what's going on and you better not say something lame like 'I've gotta do what my father says!' Since when do you do anything that anybody says?" Mai demanded to know. Outside of Shizuru and Miss Maria, Mai was pretty sure that Natsuki listened to absolutely no one unless she knew for a fact that they were right AND she agreed with them; to hell with them if they were right and she did not agree.

"Look, it's really complicated, okay?" Natsuki snorted like a mad bull.

"How is it really complicated? You better start talking, missy." Mai held up her hand as if she was going to strike Natsuki again.

"Okay, just don't hit me, damn it!" the principal ordered with a scowl. She noted to herself that she was such a softie when it came to the few people that were close to her, caving to their whims much of the time, even when she would rather not. "I've been kinda dating this guy Takeda—" she was cut off right there.

"What?! Since when?! What happened between you and Shizuru-san?" Mai asked while making a fist, having a feeling that she was going to need to hit her old friend once again.

"It's…complicated," Natsuki repeated in a weak voice, glancing away for a moment.

"Don't gimme that! Tell me what happened between you two. I never saw two people so strangely in love with each other before and suddenly you're breaking up out of the blue and you're dating some guy?"

"Okay, look, me and Shizuru had a couple of really bad fights. I mean, really bad fights. It's better for us to be apart. Love isn't everything, you know—" Natsuki's little speech was cut off by Mai slapping her again.

Natsuki grimaced, even though the hits were not hurting her too much. It was just annoying that she kept getting hit for things that were not her fault in her opinion. Mai would beg to differ, probably while slapping Natsuki again because the principal was just talking insanity in her opinion.

"Don't be an idiot. You're going to stand there and try to make me believe that you'll be happier for the rest of your life with this guy that your father wants you to marry than Shizuru?" Mai asked in disbelief.

"I will!" Natsuki declared, which earned her another smack. "Cut it out!"

"Like hell I will! You're going to throw away ten years of a good relationship over two fights? I don't care how epic they were! You love Shizuru and she loves you! You two are like joined at the hip with each other. You're seriously going to throw ten years away from two fights?" Mai begged to know. Her eyes were desperate despite the fact that she was screaming at her friend. She needed answers because she could not understand what could possibly make Natsuki and Shizuru break up. To her, it was like the clouds managing to work their way out of the sky: impossible.

"We both said some things…" Natsuki trailed off, looking away in shame. She was actually more worried about the things that she said. She still could not believe that she had actually called Shizuru a "fucking whore." It caused her heart to contract harshly just to think about it.

"So? You've said things before. I know that and I've been missing for the better part of your relationship," Mai pointed out, calming down somewhat because she was starting to pick up on the turmoil swirling around in the Second Column.

Natsuki sighed, eyes misting over as if she was going to cry. "I said some things…"

Mai's voice was suddenly gentle and understanding. "Natsuki, words can be fixed. I know you don't want to leave things with Shizuru in a bad way, even if you do have to get married to this Takeda guy, even though I doubt you'll do anything that you don't want to do. I mean, I doubt you're ready to give up the big cannon that comes along with being the Ice Silver Crystal," the redhead joked a little to lighten the mood, even though she knew that she was telling the truth. Natsuki loved being a Column, loved being an Otome, even if she did not want to admit it.

"I don't know if I want to be with Shizuru anymore…" Natsuki muttered. Her heart was ready to argue with that statement, but seemed to decide that now was not a good time to confuse the raven-haired Otome.

Mai paused for a moment, appearing puzzled as to why such words would come out of her friend's mouth. "What would make you say something like that? Why wouldn't you want to be with her anymore?" Her voice was so bewildered, as if someone just proved to her that the world was flat, which to her made more sense than Natsuki and Shizuru breaking up.

"Because I don't think she loves me as I love her and it hurts so much…" the emerald-eyed woman answered in a low, weak voice. She could not believe that she just confessed that, but she really needed to get it off of her chest.

"Natsuki…" Mai reached out a caring hand and placed it on Natsuki's shoulder. She gently rubbed the area under her palm. "You were like this before we were younger, but I don't think you took it this seriously, even though you screamed about it a lot. You always doubted because of the way Shizuru was, but you always remembered who she came to at the end of the day, who she showed her real smile to, who she let her guard down with, and who she showed that she wasn't the perfect, sweet little girl, but a beguiling rebel that liked to cut class almost as much as you and loved to sneak out even more than you did. At the end of the day, no matter what happened, Shizuru was always yours as much as you were hers," the shorter female reminded her friend.

Natsuki was silent and her expression was neutral. Was she always like this? Mai was right about when they were younger and she started going out with Shizuru. Back then, yes, Shizuru had her fan club like now, but in the end, Shizuru did come to her, just like now. She was the only one that got to see Shizuru without any defenses up, without any mask; just like Shizuru was the only one to see her like that. And, typically when she stopped and thought about it, she was _certain_ that she was the _only_ one to ever see Shizuru like that.

"Natsuki, I don't want to see you do this to yourself. I know you don't want to leave Shizuru. You love her," Mai said. She wish that there were more powerful words for her to use beyond love because she believed that whatever those words were was what Natsuki and Shizuru felt for each other, and would probably always feel in her opinion.

The principal sniffled and tears slid down her cheeks. "I know I do…" she admitted without thinking. She knew that for the simple fact that she could compare Takeda to Shizuru. Everything that she felt when she was with Shizuru was gone now that she was with Takeda. She felt no sparks or heat from Takeda, nothing at all. Everything that made life worth living to its fullest was with Shizuru. Without Shizuru, life was merely a dull existence to Natsuki.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but you can't just let it go if you still love her. You can't do this to yourself, Natsuki. You're going to lose everything because of two arguments?" Mai asked incredulously.

Nastuki shook her head while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She did not want to lose her life just to spite Shizuru. She did not even want to lose Shizuru apparently, if her tears meant anything. What was she supposed to do, though? She was already engaged and Shizuru, well, she could not imagine even speaking to Shizuru now after the things that she said.

"Natsuki, you can't just let the love of your life go. So, you find her and you tell her the truth. You two need to work it out," Mai ordered in a firm tone. She knew that she was right for the simple fact that Natsuki was crying. She was not sure if she had ever seen such a thing before, which let her know just how serious the matter was.

The principal nodded in agreement, looking almost like a pathetic child because she was still rubbing her eyes to dry her tears. She supposed that she needed to get out of what was happening before things got any deeper. She needed to try to mend things with Shizuru before things got worse and they could not fix things. She just wanted the pain to go away; she wanted things to be all right again.

--

Shizuru got up and had to actually get dressed; how dreadful. Miss Maria called her that morning, harping on her about neglecting her duties. She now understood how her poor Natsuki felt whenever she missed work; Miss Maria certainly knew how to make someone's life Hell. She decided to make a point to never neglect her duties again.

She dragged herself to the shower, making sure to take an ice cold shower to wake her up. Her nerves seemed to go into shock, making her body stiff and rigid when the water stabbed her with the intensity of a million ice shards. The shower woke her up enough to make it to her tea and she was able to get some caffeine into her lethargic system.

Once she got her life's blood in her, namely tea, she felt like she should be able to make it through the day. Hopefully, she did not have to tend to anything that required serious attention, though. That would be asking too much of her, especially considering the fact that she could not concentrate enough to put her uniform on properly the first three times that she attempted to.

"Ara, ara, what would everyone think if they saw me this morning?" Shizuru remarked, kind of teasing herself while finally getting her dress on the right way.

She felt ready to face the day after she got dressed. She stood tall and took powerful strides to her front door. She opened the door and noticed the daily newspaper waiting for her; everyone that lived on campus had the paper delivered to them because Otome needed to be up to date as far as local and global news went. She typically flipped through the paper, glancing over things to get a general idea of what was going on.

She was fine, walking through the halls and looking through the paper. She then suddenly collapsed to her knees when she got to the middle of the paper. She dropped the news and tried to brace herself against the wall to at least be able to climb back to her feet.

Shizuru found herself having trouble breathing. Her lungs seemed to stop functioning. The limited amount of air that she was able to breathe in had trouble making it passed the huge lump in her throat. The lump in her throat might have been her heart caught in her neck, she considered because she knew that the organ was not in her chest anymore.

"My Natsuki…engaged?" Shizuru muttered in sheer disbelief and shock. How the hell was she supposed to make it through the day now?!

The Third Column suddenly shot up from her space on the floor and rushed back to her apartment. She made a mad dash for the bathroom and retched so loudly that if anyone was in the hall, the person would have heard the noise. Well, there went the morning tea and her confidence in making it through the day.

Shizuru shivered as she made it out of her bathroom once she was done emptying her stomach and soul. She had really lost her Natsuki, she realized. Natsuki was going to completely change her life, marry Takeda, give up being an Otome, and leave Shizuru forever. How the hell was she supposed to go on if that were to happen?!

"Natsuki…" Shizuru muttered, which was followed by a cough that was mixed with a sob.

She held onto her stomach, which was completely drained now, so she did not have to worry about throwing up again. She stumbled to the door like a crazy drunk, determined to go to work despite the way that she was feeling. She needed to go out and face the world at some point and it was better now than later. The sooner she did it, the sooner she would be able to move on. Not that she was so sure that she wanted to move on. She loved her Natsuki, after all.

"No, no, no. I can't let her control me like this. She is a grown woman that has made her decision. I can go on without her as I am a strong woman in my own right. I am the Third Column, the Smiling Amethyst. I can go on. I will go on," Shizuru vowed to herself in a strong voice.

She forced herself to believe that; if she did not, she would not have made it through the day. Hell, she would not have been able to walk out of the apartment complex. But now that she told herself that enough times to believe it for the time being, she was able to stand tall and stroll out into the world as if everything was fine. Well, everything was fine for about twenty minutes.

While walking through the campus, students of course noticed the great, brilliant Shizuru-onee-sama. They rushed around her as usual, buzzing around her like delighted bees. The chatter did not even sound like words to Shizuru's still very whirling mind; it was just a lot of noise. The concern on their faces let her know that they read the paper; they knew that her Natsuki was no longer hers.

Shizuru was not sure what happened in her head when she realized that her fan-girls were talking about the engagement. She just knew that anger shot from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. She was thoroughly and irrationally pissed in less than a second. She turned around and glared at the group of girls around her.

The girls all ceased and felt a vicious black cloud sort of devour them. They were frozen in place as Shizuru locked her turbulent crimson eyes on them. They were all certain that they were as close to Hell as they ever wanted to be.

The anger swirled in Shizuru like a cyclone. It twisted into pure hatred that they would even mention her dearest Natsuki's engagement in her presence. To make things worse, they would approach her with those fake pouts, as if _she_ could not see through them. She was the Queen of False, after all. But, right now, she was in no mood to be false or polite.

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?! I don't need your false sympathy! You think following me around and faking interest that Natsuki is engaged will get you close to me?! You don't know a damn thing about me and none of you even care! Leave me the hell alone before you see what's really behind this smile!" Shizuru hollered at the top of her lungs with a snarl on her taut lip.

The students all flinched as Shizuru flexed; it was like she was going to call her Element. They all fled in terror before seeing more of a side of Shizuru that they did not want to know existed. Shizuru growled as she watched them go, considering giving chase and taking her weapon to them. How dare they offer her their false sympathies when she knew that they were rejoicing that she was single!

"Don't you think that was a little unnecessary?" a familiar smug voice asked from behind a tree.

"I don't think it's any of your business, Nao-san. Should you be out tormenting the streets?" Shizuru commented in a low snarl of a voice.

"Why? It's not nearly as fun as watching you torment some poor little Corals that only worship the ground you walk on," Nao remarked as she stepped from behind the tree to face Shizuru. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that she should just mind her own business, but something else countered that. For some reason, she could not leave things alone with Natsuki and Shizuru. She hated to think it was because she believed in their love or worse yet that she did not want to see that idiot dog they called a principal make the stupidest mistake of her life.

"They don't care about me anymore than you do. Now, why don't you just leave me the hell alone," Shizuru suggested, hand flexed again. She itched to turn her weapon on something to hopefully rid her of these dreadful emotions. She wished that she could just be numb and cold and that way Natsuki could stop affecting her so deeply.

Nao chuckled a bit; it was covering up the fact that her heart was going a mile a minute. She could tell that Shizuru was not in her right mind…if she actually had a right mind anyway. She stood her ground anyway.

"I would if I could, but I can't. You're obviously upset that your little pup has strayed," Nao commented in a cool voice, easily hiding just how nervous she was.

"I don't care! She can do whatever she wants. I don't want to talk about it. I don't care what she does with her life. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care," Shizuru repeated over and over again as if it was her new mantra. It was obvious that she was doing it more for herself than to convince Nao of anything. The way her eyes glazed over and averted to the ground, it was likely that she did not even see Nao anymore. She was slightly shaking her head as she spoke as if that would make her believe her words all the more.

Nao sighed, figuring out that her self-imposed job was going to be harder than she thought; and the funny thing was that she targeted Shizuru since she was typically easier to talk to. But, she would not be able to talk to Shizuru if she was near hysterical, not to mention in some serious self-denial right now.

Her first action, if she was dealing with anyone else in such a state, would be a sound slap; hell, that would be her only action if she was dealing with Natsuki. But, right now she could tell that if she slapped Shizuru, she would have a naginata shoved up her ass, and that would be if she was lucky. She supposed that left plan B. Well, at least Plan B served a purpose beyond calming Shizuru down.

"I should probably just stay out of it…or maybe even kill myself before doing this," Nao commented to herself while Shizuru was still ranting about not caring about Natsuki.

The redhead grabbed Shizuru by the shoulders, said a quick prayer in her head, and reminded herself that there was a method to her madness before going in to do what she had to do. It was for the greater good, she told herself. And then, the next thing Shizuru knew, Nao's lips were on hers. It did get her to stop ranting and raving. Nao just hoped that it did not get her to materialize her naginata.

A little too wrapped up in everything, neither of them realized that they were standing fairly close to the administration building. On the side where the principal's office was, with the large windows. With a lone figure in the window.

--

Next time: what the hell is Nao doing?! Natsuki and Shizuru have a little talk.


	20. Detangle and retangle

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

20: Detangle and re-tangle

Nao silently prayed to any and every divine being that she had not just kissed herself into an early grave. There were still a lot of things that she wanted to do in life, after all. If there was any mercy in the universe she would get to do those things after kissing Shizuru Viola.

The redhead slowly pulled away from Shizuru, who was hysterical not even five seconds ago. The taller woman seemed calm now, although the scowl on her face indicated that she was quite possibly homicidal. Bad news for Nao if that proved to be true.

"What. The. Hell. Was. That?" Shizuru demanded to know in a low, dangerous tone. Her ruby irises seemed to be taking over her entire eyeballs, making her appear quite demonic. The tension in her body and rigid expression on her face was only adding to the devil-like aura that seemed to consume her.

Nao steeled herself to explain. "Two things. You were going nuts and I had to stop you somehow. The more important thing is this: did you feel anything in that kiss?" the redhead inquired. She wanted to find out if the older woman had moved on or was her heart and mind still faithful to their idiot-dog principal?

"Of course not!" Shizuru replied with a heavy glare while wondering what the hell Nao was going on about.

"What went through your mind?" Nao asked curiously, even though she could now guess just what the Third Column was thinking.

Shizuru thought about it for a moment; a lot of things had gone through her mind in the three seconds that they shared kissing. The first thought was that the person kissing her was definitely not Natsuki. Since the person that was kissing her was not Natsuki, her mind pointed out that the kiss was wrong and that it felt wrong on every level possible. She felt a bit sick from it. Her final thought was that she should shove the person daring to touch her and then kill the person for not being Natsuki and taking such liberties with her. By the time that anger reached her, Nao was wisely withdrawing, so the redhead was obviously spared.

Since Shizuru was silent, Nao decided to answer her own question. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that most of your thoughts centered around your brain-dead dog that's too stupid to call off an engagement," she threw it out there.

Shizuru only frowned, which confirmed the guess for the redhead. It did not even occur to Shizuru to be offended as she usually would when Nao referred to Natsuki as her dog. There was too much turmoil already going on in her head for something so minor to edge its way in.

"Look, I don't know what's going on between you two, but I know you need to straighten it out before it's too late. Natsuki's too stupid to do it, so it's on you," Nao pointed out as bluntly as possible. If not, she supposed there was always her back-up plan, which involved a large mallet and the back of Natsuki's skull. She figured Natsuki's head would shatter the mallet, but it would at least get her attention. She was not too sure what she would do with Natsuki's attention, though, since she thought that damned mutt was too stupid to listen to reason.

"Why do you even care?" Shizuru inquired with a snarl, lacking anything better to say and otherwise feeling too angry to be touched by the gesture of someone actually trying to help.

"I don't!" Nao insisted, throwing her hands up in defense. Like hell she cared! Her expression displayed the offense that she took from it being implied that she even cared.

Shizuru, feeling a little more like herself thanks to Nao's speech and expression, smiled a bit like the cat that ate the canary. She gathered that Nao was being helpful because, well, Nao was Natsuki's friend. Sure, neither of them would admit it under torture and threat of death, but the Second and Fourth Column were, strangely, friends. Surprisingly enough, Shizuru did not feel the need to rub that in.

"Thank you, Nao-san," Shizuru suddenly said and she impulsively reached out to hug Nao. She was just feeling so much better that she needed to express that relief in someway.

The hug was awkward since Nao was not hugging back. Shizuru actually did not notice that she sort of had the redhead smushed against her. Nao grimaced and not really from pain. Something just was not right about being embraced by Shizuru.

"Just fix this mess before that idiot does something that can't be undone. It wouldn't be any fun around here without her. I mean, who would I make fun of?" Nao remarked with a smirk while pulling out of the hug. It was borderline creepy, but she was not about to show that.

"So, this was an entirely selfish act and has nothing to do with the fact that you're worried about Natsuki?" Shizuru inquired, sounding just a bit sarcastic.

"I'm not worried about that idiot! I'm just worried about being bored by not having an idiot around here to make fun of!" Nao declared indignantly, folding her arms across her chest roughly.

"Duly noted," Shizuru remarked, but it was clear that she was still being quite sarcastic.

"Just make sure you fix this quickly," the redhead ordered before storming off.

Shizuru sighed when she was alone. How was she going to "fix this quickly?" Natsuki thought that she was a whore and feared that she had been unfaithful during the years of their relationship. Granted, she knew that the way she behaved did not help, but that was just the way she was. That was how her personality was and she doubted that she could completely change overnight to make Natsuki more comfortable. Of course, she was willing to try, but still, she could not make a 180 degree turn instantly; things like that took a lot of time.

She walked off with all sorts of thoughts going through her mind. She thought that Natsuki accepted who she was and she still believed that. It was just that at the moment, they were not at their best and forgot a lot of things that they knew to be true, like they belonged to each other. She supposed that things hit Natsuki worse for the simple fact that everything she seemed to do made things more and more frustrating for Natsuki.

"Bad Shizuru," she scolded herself. She was supposed to make things easier for Natsuki, or at least more fun for Natsuki. She had just allowed her emotions to get the better of her, which had ruined things, but she needed to believe things could be repaired. "I need to talk to Natsuki properly before anything else and that way I can at least start making up for things. Hopefully, there is still a relationship to be salvaged."

Shizuru shook that last thought away. Surely there was a relationship to be salvaged. She and Natsuki had been together for more than ten years. She was still very much in love with the younger woman. Underneath it all, she was certain that Natsuki was still very much in love with her, despite the harsh words that she said the last time they spoke. So of course there was a relationship to salvage and she was certain that they would be able to do just that. She and Natsuki belonged together, after all.

"I will have my Natsuki back. I will not lose her," Shizuru said to the air in a determined voice. She never gave up on her Natsuki and she damn sure would not start now, even if the principal was engaged. Hell, she would not care if Natsuki was married now; she was going to get her love back.

--

Natsuki stared blankly at her desk, considering punching it to get rid of the anger building in her system. She had a feeling that if she started punching the desk, she would not stop. She would probably only succeed in breaking her hand again too because she knew that hitting something was not going to be enough to rid her of all of the rage, agony, and jealousy burning in her so badly that it would out shine the sun.

How could Shizuru kiss Nao?! Or better still, how could Nao kiss Shizuru? Since when was Nao interested in women anyway?!

"Wait, wait, wait," Natsuki said to calm herself down because she knew that it would not do any good to sit there, being angry with Nao or Shizuru. She did not have a right to be upset, she told herself. Shizuru was no longer her lover and she was engaged to be married. She did not have the right to be angry. "But…that doesn't change the fact that it hurts…" she whispered to the air while putting her hand to her heart.

She was happy that Mai was gone or else the redhead would have seen her cry for the second time that day. Natsuki could not believe that she was bawling again, but thinking about Shizuru being with other people and seeing the truth were two different things. Shizuru had kissed Nao, she was probably with Nao, and she had moved on from being with Natsuki. It was a good cause to weep as far as the raven-haired principal was concerned.

"Gotta be the bigger person. Gotta accept things as they are. She's moved on. I'm engaged anyway. I'm engaged anyway," Natsuki reminded herself while wiping her tears away. Just when Mai had talked some sense into her, things had to go and take such a turn. Well, she supposed that she could still take Mai's advice. Mai told her not to leave things as they were with Shizuru.

Natsuki really did not want to leave things as she had with Shizuru, especially considering the words that she had used when they last spoke. She would like to be the bigger person, especially since she was going to be leaving Garderobe soon; very soon if she knew her parents as well as she thought that she did. She would be leaving everything that she had known for the past ten-plus years to go back home and get married. Well, at least her parents would be proud of her for once, she thought to cheer herself up. It did not work.

The principal let out a weak laugh. "When have my parents ever been proud of me?" she asked herself with a snort. Even when she did what they wanted her to do, she managed to screw it up to the point that they just tried to cover up their disappointment in her. They did not do very good jobs of it, though; she sometimes doubted that they were trying very hard.

She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on the fact that underneath her rebellious nature was a daughter that was all too aware of how much she disappointed her parents more often than anything else. She turned her attention back to her work while making sure that her tears were gone. She went back to doing what she was doing before she had made the poor decision to look out of the window when Shizuru and Nao were there.

She forced herself through the work, knowing that she had to get it out the way because now there might not be a tomorrow where she could try to catch up. There might not be a tomorrow for her to play around. There was also no Shizuru to come in and merrily distract her from what she should be doing.

As Natsuki finished up with her work for the evening, she wondered if she should stop by Shizuru's apartment. They could talk and hopefully set things right, or at least in a better condition than before. Her shoulders slumped as she realized that would be the end of things. They probably would not even be friends after they spoke and hopefully parted on good terms. She doubted that Nao would want Shizuru being friends with her ex, after all. Hell, in a little while, she would not even be at Garderobe anymore, so it would not really matter.

"Well, at least no more being yelled at by Miss Maria," Natsuki thought with a small smile, although she suspected that she might even miss that. Sure, she had been yelled at all her life by her mother, the governesses hired by her family, and other females in her life, but no one quite scared the living hell out of her like Miss Maria.

She chuckled to herself as she thought that she might actually miss having the crap scared out of her. She mused that something had to be wrong with her. It was the only way to explain why she would miss Miss Maria, why she would end up engaged, and why she would allow herself to lose Shizuru to Nao of all people.

She made it to Shizuru's apartment by the time that thought entered her head. She knocked several times and waited for a few minutes, but there was no answer. She guessed that Shizuru was not in yet, which would not surprise her. After all, it was still quite a mystery as to what Shizuru did with her spare time.

She figured that she would try again later and went to her own home. She opened the door and stopped dead in her tracks. Her jaw practically hit the floor as her eyes caught a sight on her sofa.

"Shizuru, what the hell are you doing here?" Natsuki asked in shock.

Shizuru's expression fell because of the question. She concluded that Natsuki was still upset with her and she doubted that entering the apartment without the principal's permission helped matters. She took a deep breath and stood up from where she was seated.

"I'm sorry, Natsuki. I shouldn't have intruded on your personal space," Shizuru humbly apologized, bowing a bit as she spoke.

Natsuki blinked hard; Shizuru was apologizing? Shizuru was apologizing for intruding on her personal space? Natsuki looked around, as if she was making sure that she was in the right place. While she was busy being confused, Shizuru was making her way out of the apartment.

"Wait!" Natsuki said as she realized that Shizuru was about to be in the hallway. She spun around, hair whirling around her like an ebony tornado. She grabbed Shizuru by the arm. "Don't go," she pled.

"Natsuki…" Shizuru whispered as she turned around to face her former girlfriend. She wondered what that tone was that Natsuki was using, sounding so desperate. It did help her continue to hope for them.

"I think we should talk," Natsuki said in a calm voice while hoping that her heart stopped increasing speed sometime soon before it was in danger of blowing up.

"Yes, we should," Shizuru agreed, nodding slightly.

"Um…so, how about we sit on the couch and talk…" Natsuki proposed, motioning toward the furnishing with her free hand.

Shizuru nodded again and turned around yet again. Natsuki kicked the door shut and moved toward the sofa with Shizuru. Neither of them said anything about Natsuki's hand remaining on Shizuru's arm or how gentle her grip was. They sat down, hand still on arm.

They faced each other, hearts racing as they locked eyes. Their lungs were working overtime also, but they were managing to hide that well enough. There were so many things that they wanted to say to each other, but they did not even know where to start. Natsuki was hit with the first epiphany.

"I'm sorry for calling you a…a…a…fucking whore," Natsuki said, voice trembling as if she was horrified. It was not hard to apologize for. It was just hard to repeat those words again. "I can't believe I even said that! I mean, that was just horrible. I'm so sorry!" she said, clutching Shizuru's arm tighter. Her eyes pled with Shizuru to believe her as they misted over, ready to bawl if she was not believed.

Shizuru smiled slightly. "Thank you for that, Natsuki," she replied in a low tone. She really did need to know that the love of her life did not seriously think that she was a whore. "I, too, am sorry. I don't even know where to begin with that list," she admitted with a slight forced chuckle and she looked away for a moment. It was a rather embarrassing; she knew that she should be apologizing, but she really did not know where to start.

"Take your time," Natsuki said in a gentle tone, patting the limb that her hand was still attached to.

"Well, first, I should apologize for my behavior. Not just recently, but pretty much since we've known each other," Shizuru replied.

"You know, you don't really need to apologize for that. I mean, I know how you are. You've been like this since forever as far as I know. And to be honest, sure, I get jealous and upset, but it's only for the moment. I don't like that you flirt so much, but it's a part of you and I do accept you the way you are," the younger woman stated honestly.

Of course she got jealous when Shizuru flirted with others, but she knew that it was meaningless when she stopped and thought about it. As far as she knew, it was always started and ended as flirting, there was never anything more. Girls were not even stupid enough to start untrue rumors that there might be anything more. So, Natsuki did accept Shizuru, even though she did wish that Shizuru would cut it out most of the time.

"Thank you again, Natsuki. Most of the time, I am just teasing you when I do things like that. I never intend to take any further than teasing. There is only one Natsuki for me, after all," Shizuru remarked with a warm smile.

Natsuki blushed, which widened Shizuru's smile, some teeth flashed. Her eyes were close to lighting up thanks to that flush. Those words did make Natsuki think of other things that she said to Shizuru; the things about Tomoe. She was not sure how to approach that subject, but stumbled into it head first as she did with most other things.

"Um…about my suggesting you go find Tomoe…" Natsuki said and she trailed off because she was not sure where to go with that. She hoped that Shizuru picked up the slack.

"I won't be taking you up on that offer. Natsuki, what I did with Tomoe, I can't figure out how to justify what I said. I do swear to you that I did what I did for you. I wanted to protect you. I would do anything to protect you, even if it is something that you would hate me for later on. Your life, your happiness is more important to me than anything else," Shizuru stated while taking Natsuki's hand. She squeezed the hand in a reassuring manner.

Natsuki was quiet for a moment, just appreciating the touch. There was that familiar, comforting warmth that she missed. She relished in it for a moment, before she realized that she would not get to feel it anymore. The warmth now belonged to Nao, she reminded herself, and she was stuck with Takeda. She had abandoned, tossed away that wonderful, glowing warmth.

"I know, Shizuru. I just wish you wouldn't have said it was fun," Natsuki replied.

"I was teasing. It was odd. It wasn't fun in a way that I would go out and do it again. It was just different. I didn't say that to hurt you, Natsuki. I'm not too sure why I said it beyond teasing. It was such a silly thing to say. I'm just so comfortable with you that I sometimes say whatever comes to mind, no matter how silly it is," Shizuru pointed out.

Natsuki nodded. "I know. I get like that too, which usually gives you more ammunition to tease me with."

"You're so cute when you're being so open and honest with me. Just because I tease you when you're like that doesn't mean you can't be serious with me, though. I just have the rein in the desire to tease you. I just think you're so cute when you're flustered and sometimes that overrides other thoughts in my brain."

"I know. That's why you always pretend to be hurt, just to watch me panic."

Shizuru smiled a little more, appearing quite appreciative. "And you always do panic."

"I get worried that you might be serious. I don't like seeing you in pain anymore than you like seeing me that way, which is one of the reasons I felt so bad saying those things I said to you. I wish we could've just talked it out like a normal couple," Natsuki confessed.

"I shall take the blame for that. From the start of this whole thing, I should have handled it so much better. I just didn't know how to take all of this talk about you being unhappy with your life. I took it as you being unhappy with me and I didn't know how to go about making you happy. The more I tried, the worse I made things," the older woman replied, squeezing Natsuki's hand a little harder. She felt quite reassured when Natsuki squeezed back.

"When I first started complaining about that, I was kinda sick of my life, but I'd never get sick of you. You didn't need to try. You had me, Shizuru. I told you, I'm yours. So, while I might get sick of being here, sick of being principal, hell, even if I get sick of being an Otome, that doesn't mean I'm sick of being with you. You're separate from all that other stuff," Natsuki explained.

Shizuru nodded to show that she understood. If only they had had this talk sooner, her mind pointed out. They were sitting there talking as if it mattered now. Maybe it did matter, she considered. Natsuki was speaking as if there was hope for them, touching her as if there was hope for them. Maybe Natsuki would get out of her engagement and they could continue on as they were. She would like that, of course. Natsuki was hers, after all.

They were silent for a moment, enjoying the feel of each other. Natsuki then remembered that the sensation that she was practically melting from was no longer hers. She supposed that she better not get so used to it again, lest she wish for more. It was no longer hers to wish for it and it would only bring pain for her to try to hold onto it.

"So, we're cool now? We're both sorry for being insensitive jerks?" Natsuki asked, hope creeping into her voice and eyes.

"Very much so," Shizuru agreed. "I'm sorry once again for all of this insanity. I accept that much of it is my fault for not speaking up when I was bothered by things and also for not being your shoulder when you needed me."

"It's all right. It's in the past and we've moved on. You live, you learn, you know? Now, we just need to see where to go from here."

Shizuru felt like her whole body went light. It seemed as if Natsuki was proposing that their relationship was saved and that they could go on. It was quite good news, of course.

"I do hope you're happy with Nao," Natsuki said, which threw Shizuru off and sent her mind into a tailspin.

"Wha?" Shizuru muttered while trying to get her head to stop whirling. Happy with Nao? What the hell was Natsuki talking about?

"I…um…saw you two earlier. I hope you guys are happy together. I mean it," Natsuki said; the last part was more for herself. She had to mean it or the rest of her life would be lived in suffering, still desiring Shizuru, still needing Shizuru. "I'm happy you found someone, especially someone to keep you company when I leave," the Second Column said soundly, sounding quite believable.

"When you leave?" Shizuru echoed in a dazed tone. She appeared almost dizzy from what she was hearing and she did not totally comprehend what was going on.

"Yeah, it's not going to be long before my parents call me back home to marry Takeda. I'll miss you, you know. But, maybe you can come visit me or something. I won't even mind if you bring Nao," Natsuki lied. She was starting to get choked up. She did not want to break down in front of Shizuru and cause the older woman any trouble. "Um…I sorta need to start sorting stuff out right…" Natsuki looked around, implying that she needed to get started immediately as her mouth refused to add the word "now" to her statement, refused to make it seem like her former girlfriend needed to leave.

"Oh, I'll leave you to that," Shizuru muttered, looking away.

They rose from the sofa, finally letting each other go. They felt an almost overwhelming sense of loss when they were no longer connected. It took all of their strength to part ways and as soon as the door shut, blocking their view of each other, they fell to their knees. They were both ready to sob, not believing that they had to let each other go.

"Why would she think I'm with Nao? Oh, no, she saw that kiss. Have I lost Natsuki because of a misunderstanding or was she going to leave no matter what? I'll ask her later and attempt to clear this all up before she leaves, but for now…I must kill Nao for ruining this chance for me," Shizuru decided. She rose to her feet and went to search for a certain redhead.

--

Natsuki made it to her feet only to fall into her bed, not planning to move anytime soon, especially since she was sure that she could not move. Her mind just wandered while she lay there. Soon, she would be gone from her home to her home. She would leave behind all that she knew. She would have to leave Shizuru in the hands of Nao. Hopefully, Nao would take good care of Shizuru, she silently prayed.

"If not, I'll pound that little brat into the ground. She better take good care of Shizuru," Natsuki growled into her pillow.

--

Next time: Shizuru confronts Nao about what just happened with Natsuki. Shizuru has a strange look in her eye while doing so. Should Nao be worried?


	21. Chivalry isn’t dead yet

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

21: Chivalry isn't dead yet

Nao felt a chill run down her spine as she wandered the streets of Windbloom with her gang. Something was not quite right, she thought as her nerves twitched, as if telling her that she should flee while she had the chance. She did not take her nerves unspoken advice.

The redheaded Otome stopped walking to look around the dark, clear streets. Her boys looked at her curiously for a moment, but when she started walking again, they dismissed any thoughts about her actions. They continued on their way, following the leader. Nao stopped again, her men walked ahead of her a little ways and when they turned to see why the boss halted, they were shocked to see that she was gone.

"What the hell?" Nao huffed as she found herself being yanked off of her feet and dragged up to a rooftop. Her back was pressed against the cool, hard roof entrance and she suddenly felt a frosty fingertip on her lips to silence her.

"Shh…" the kidnapper hissed like a fierce snake.

Nao frowned as she took a good look as to who just abducted her. Shizuru was damn weird, the redhead concluded. She wondered what the older woman wanted with her, but she could take a wild guess.

There was a frozen, furious, "welcome-to-Hell" look in those crimson eyes that informed Nao she was not being pulled for something good. She felt her blood run cold while looking into those ruby depths. She honestly felt like a mouse caught by cobra. Nao took a moment to gulp and pray; she was doing that a lot lately, she noted.

"Nao-san, I will tell you right now that the only reason I haven't slit your stomach open is because I know you were trying to help," Shizuru commented, seeming to be starting in the middle of a thought because the redhead had no clue what she was talking about. She did not really care about that since she was running the show anyway.

"What're you going on about?" Nao inquired, forcing her voice to come out normally, sounding upset. She could only hope that Shizuru could not somehow hear the way that her heart was pounding as if it was going to crack her ribs.

"Natsuki saw you kiss me and now assumes we are together. She seemed to dislike the idea, but was willing to resign herself to fate. So, she's getting married when her father sends for her while I am to be left to you," Shizuru answered in a tense tone.

"You mean to tell me that stupid dog thinks we're in item?" Nao practically yelled in disbelief. Goddamn it, how stupid was that goddamn principal?!

"Well, you did kiss me," Shizuru pointed out, almost nonchalantly.

"You were hysterical and if I had slapped you, you would've cut my head off," Nao countered smugly.

Shizuru was quieted for a moment because she could not call Nao a liar on that. The last person to slap her was Natsuki and even then it was done in a manner that was not to her disliking. Still, that did not excuse the mess that she was currently in thanks to Nao's "help."

"Listen to me, I'm losing my Natsuki and I had a very good chance of getting her back, until you came along. She seemed to want me out quite quickly after commenting on us being together, so I couldn't even correct her thinking. Now, if I lose her, I will blame you and you don't want me to blame you," Shizuru stated in a calm, scary tone. The near-demented look in her eyes backed up her words.

Nao was a bit insulted that the blame was suddenly being passed onto her. She was sure that there were bumps in the relationship long before she came along; after all, Natsuki had been openly walking around with Takeda for over a month. Shizuru had been gone even longer, so obviously something was up and Nao damn sure knew that it was not her fault.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there. First off, I'm not taking the blame for this, even if it is my damn fault. Second off, don't try to blame me when your relationship was on the shady side of the street for a while now and I was only trying to help. Third off, calm the hell down and chill out. We can fix this," Nao said in a calm, reassuring voice. She truly believed that they could fix the relationship, no matter how screwy it was now that Natsuki thought she and Shizuru were a couple. That was something that they could easily mend. The real problem was making sure their idiot Headmistress did not get married to that guy.

"How can this be fixed? She's resigned herself to this engagement," Shizuru pointed out, sounding like she was ready to break out into a roar. She was just so frustrated that she did not know what to do anymore.

"Well, you said she seemed ready to go back to you until she got the idiotic idea in her head that we're together. She's obviously misses you and you have to miss her or else you wouldn't be threatening me on a roof," the redhead explained the obvious.

Shizuru nodded to that, as it was the truth. She was at the end of her rope now. She had been so close to having her Natsuki back, only to find out that Natsuki thought that she was with Nao. Everything about her was now drained from the effort and she just did not know what to do since Natsuki dismissed her before she had the chance to explain what was going on. Natsuki probably would not have liked the answer much either, she considered.

"Do you have something in mind?" the fair-haired Column asked curiously. Although she felt like she did not have anything left in her, she was willing to keep going if it meant that she could get Natsuki back.

"Well, I'm sure if we put our heads together, we can come up with something," Nao remarked with a devilish smile.

A smile crept onto Shizuru's face too, looking just as demonic as her companion. The sky seemed to grow darker as the wheels in their heads began to turn. They both seemed to come up with something at the same time as their eyes sparked and they turned to each other.

"We need to keep Natsuki here for a little while longer," Shizuru started. That was the main issue. She had to make sure that Natsuki did not leave before she had a chance to clear the air and remind Natsuki of what they shared.

"Just to give you two some more time to talk things over," Nao added, on the same page with the older woman.

"So, she needs an excuse to stay here."

"Maybe I should just hit in her the head with a shovel. It should put her in the hospital for a few days," Nao remarked and then she saw the deadpan expression on Shizuru's face. "It was a joke!" Partially anyway. She doubted a shovel would do the job of even getting Natsuki's attention considering how thick her skull had to be. If she was going to get a swing on the principal, she would like a pick-axe or a spiked club.

"This is no time to be joking, Nao-san," Shizuru commented dryly.

Nao huffed while folding her arms across her chest. She was just about to say something snippy, but that was forgotten for something actually helpful. "I know just what to do!" she proclaimed out of nowhere it seemed.

"What will you be doing?" Shizuru inquired with an arched eyebrow. She would like to know exactly how Nao planned to help lest she get more help like that kiss, which did more harm than good in the long run.

"That I can't tell you because you'll think I'm an idiot, but it'll get you more time with Natsuki and you don't even have to worry about the idiot she's engaged to being in the way," Nao answered with a smirk. The devil probably would have run off to see the expression.

Shizuru craned an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. "I'd prefer to know."

"You take the fun out of everything," Nao grumbled, smirk transforming into a frown. She was close to teasing and saying that she could see why Natsuki left, but she was pretty sure she would die on that roof if she allowed those words to leave her mouth, even if they were a joke.

Shizuru was unmoved and merely waited patiently for Nao to tell her what was going through her devious mind. Nao did not disappoint, although they both wanted to scoff a little at the idea. After all, it gave a certain Otome a lot of credit and as ridiculous as she was, they would prefer not to give her much.

"So, you'll tell her then?" Shizuru ordered, even though it sounded like a request. The redhead was not stupid enough to fall for what it sounded like, though.

"Why do I get all of the hard jobs?" Nao grumbled.

"Because you are Natsuki's friend and care for her happiness," Shizuru pointed out, being quite serious at the moment.

"The hell I am and like hell I do!" Nao declared, turning her nose up in indignation. She did not give a damn about that stupid principal!

Shizuru would have giggled, at least to herself, at any other time, especially since Nao seemed like a younger version of her Natsuki. But, right now, her heart did not have room for mirth and she merely took in the expression, thinking of her Natsuki. Her Natsuki that was actually so close to leaving her behind, thinking that she was with Nao, and ready to resign herself to a fate that everyone knew she did not want. She almost got caught in wondering how things had come to this, but Nao broke in, suggesting that they get started as soon as possible. She nodded in agreement.

The pair parted ways to get the ball rolling in their plan. Nao had to mentally prepare for her part in the scheme while also silently insisting that she was doing things just because her life would be boring without Natsuki around. Who would she taunt, after all? Natsuki was too funny to lose.

"Still, I don't want to have to deal with this psycho just to keep an idiot around," Nao muttered to herself.

--

Natsuki was frowning, which most people would have thought was odd since she was walking and holding hands with her fiancé. He was talking, but she was not listening; it had become her norm. He did not seem to notice for several long minutes during the walk.

"Natsuki-chan," Takeda said, which halted everything. Seriously, it seemed like the whole world ceased when she stopped and forced him to stop too.

Natsuki's frown turned into a full-fledge scowl. Takeda's blood ran cold when she locked eyes with him, emerald orbs looking absolutely murderous. He had never seen such a dark look in all his days, not even when facing an enemy, so it was very disturbing to get the look from his fiancée.

"What did you just call me?" Natsuki demanded to know in a growl of a voice; the noise would have made animals flee, thinking a predator was around. How dare he call her that name in public! Even Shizuru was not allowed such a thing! And only Shizuru was allowed to use that name anyway.

"Your name?" he replied, teeth chattering in fear and his eyes darting everywhere but her eyes.

"No, you didn't call me my name. You added something unnecessary to it. Make sure it doesn't happen again," she commanded, poking him once in the center of his chest with her index finger. There was enough power behind that simple hit that let him know that he would regret it if he ever referred to her as "Natsuki-chan" again.

Takeda nodded vigorously to show that he understood. They continued on their way after that; he trailed half-a-step behind Natsuki now. There was an aura around her that seemed to keep him at bay; it was like if he stood by her side, his whole being would wither away and he would cease to exist entirely.

They were going out to eat dinner and to discuss their future together; a future that Natsuki dreaded to think about now. When they got to the restaurant, it seemed like it was safe again to speak. Takeda waited for them to be seated before daring to open his mouth.

"Natsuki, your father contacted me and said we should be leaving for your home in a couple of days. He wants to meet me in person and then we can all start planning the wedding," Takeda informed her, thinking that would get a good response from her.

Natsuki, who was busying herself by staring at the drink menu, barely made a noise. The noise that she did make was a rather unladylike grunt. Takeda was not sure what to make of that, having never heard the sound before. His eyebrows came in close together, wrinkling his brow. His eyes focused down for a moment before coming back to look at his future bride.

"Is something troubling you, Natsuki?" he asked while boldly leaning across the table to take her hand in his. She nearly pulled away, but caught herself.

"Nothing's wrong," she replied in a mumble. "Why would you even ask that?" she countered, trying to avoid talking about herself.

"You've been acting weird for a while now," he informed her. He noticed that she had been acting weird since he told her that her father was allowing them to get married, but that was also around the time that Shizuru was suddenly back in her life, which he knew too. He thought that the "best friend" might have something to do with his fiancée's strange behavior.

"I'm not acting weird. This is all just happening so quickly. I mean, I had to do so much packing and I've got to figure out who'll take my job. I've got to hold a damn meeting either tomorrow or a couple of days from now to figure out who the hell the Second Column is gonna be," Natsuki groaned and folded her arms across her chest, practically yanking her hand from her fiancé.

Takeda was silent for a moment and he looked away while drawing his hand back to his body. He supposed that it was good reason to be distant. He had not taken into account what she was going through with having to go back home, to leave Windbloom for the rest of her life. Even now, he did not realize what a monumental thing it was.

"Well, by next week, you get to put it all behind you," he commented with a small smile.

A vein bulged out from her temple while her jaw tensed, causing a vein in her neck to pulse. How could he make it sound so trivial? She was not just leaving behind the only woman that she ever loved (not that he knew that), but all of her friends and her home for over ten years! She was pretty much leaving her home all over again, except there was not much of a chance of ever coming back. How could he smile at her like that and make it seem like her life in Windbloom was nothing at all?!

Poor Takeda continued to sit there, smiling, thinking he was being supportive, and not knowing that Natsuki was contemplating stabbing him repeatedly with a nearby spoon. She put her hands into her lap and balled them into fists to avoid going through with that; her hands shook with fury out of his sight, though. She slowly counted to ten in her head before replying; it was a trick that Mai beat into her skull when they were Corals because Natsuki had been about one blown fuse away from getting sent home after a couple of months at Garderobe.

"How about we order?" Natsuki suggested in a tense voice. She had to take a few deep breaths after that.

"Sure. I'm sorry this is stressing you out so much," Takeda replied, not realizing that her proposal was a signal for him to let the matter drop.

"I'm not stressed," Natsuki snarled, top lip curling at the end of her statement. She knew when she was stressed and she was far from that right now. She was annoyed, pissed, even confused, but she was not stressed, damn it!

"It's understandable. You've got a lot to do—" He did not get to finish that thought.

"Look, can we just order and shut the hell up about everything else?" Natsuki demanded as her whole upper body started to quiver from her fury. She just wanted to sit there and be left alone for two goddamn seconds. _Was it too much too much to ask for five fucking minutes of silence?!_

Takeda was taken back by that, eyes widen and body rigid. It was like he could not believe she would say such a thing. He looked around to see that people were looking at them. He laughed a bit, sounding quite nervous. He turned his attention back to Natsuki, who was frowning and glaring at the menu, hoping that it would burst into flames for some reason. She knew that he was looking at her, but she did not give a damn.

"Natsuki, calm down," he requested, voice trembling because he was not too sure how to defuse the situation.

Natsuki did not respond, starting to feel ill because of the rage welling up in her suddenly. She counted ten several times in her head and found that it was not helping. She could not figure out why she was so upset, and most of her fury was directed toward the man across from her. Earlier, she could not rationalize why she was so angry with him, but now she had reasons.

Takeda was being so insensitive, which probably would not have bothered Natsuki if only he was not being that way toward her. He was making it seem like it was nothing to leave everything behind just to marry him, like he was someone. Not that she had a say in the matter. Of course, she was pissed that he dared to ask her father for her hand in marriage without even discussing the matter with her, but that was more cultural than anything else. Still, she was not even willing to give him the fact that they came from places where guys asked fathers to take their daughters as wives, forget what the daughter wanted. She was just pissed with him over everything.

But, before she had those excuses, she had been feeling a slow boil toward Takeda anyway. She hated to think of what it was and she did not talk to anyone about it because she knew that they would tell her what she did not want to hear. She did not want to deal with that issue, feeling it was a lost cause. Instead, she just allowed it to simmer on her brain, unknowingly withdrawing from Takeda and getting irritated with him. He was only now starting to notice because of her snippy nature coming out to bite him with sharp teeth.

Takeda treaded carefully around the woman that he wished to marry for the rest of the night. The dinner was tense and the waitress that came to tend to the couple could feel a cloud of fiery evil radiating from Natsuki. The waitress practically ran off to get their orders and actually yelped when Natsuki merely requested a refill on her soda. Natsuki noticed, but did not have the room in her body to be annoyed with the mousey waitress because she was using it all up on Takeda.

The walk back to Garderobe was not better than dinner. Takeda had been a bit tempted to let Natsuki walk alone, which she would have preferred, but he believed that it would have been ungentlemanly to allow his fiancée to go off on her own. She wished that chivalry was dead; she briefly pondered if she could shoot it, preferably multiple times with her cannon.

The farewell was a passionless grunt from Natsuki. She walked off before he could kiss her; lately, the touch of his lips on even her cheek made her feel dirty and she could not suppress a shudder just from thinking about a kiss from him. She really detested considering what that might mean. By the time that she got to her apartment, her anger and trying not to consider the real reason that she was so upset gave her a headache.

"Shit, do I have aspirin around here?" Natsuki wondered while massaging her temples.

That was a question that Shizuru would have known the answer to. The thought of Shizuru seemed to zap Natsuki of everything inside of her and she just fell out on the couch, unable to get up. She was not going to find out if she did have aspirin.

"Shizuru…I don't wanna get married…" she whimpered and whined to the still air. Well, she did not want to get married to Takeda and that admission was about the closest that she would allow herself to consider the truth of her emotions.

Natsuki lay on her sofa and actually considered that maybe if she got in touch with her father, she could talk him out of making her marry Takeda. She knew that would not go over well, though. She tossed her arm over her eyes, as if she was about to cry and she wished to hide it from the walls. She did not to leave Windbloom or Garderobe behind just yet.

"I'm not ready to stop being an Otome or even the damn principal. I mean, I hate the damn paperwork, but the job isn't so bad. At least I'm making a difference. I don't want to go back home yet. I definitely don't want to go back to marry Takeda. I don't want to get married to him. I don't want to get married unless…" Natsuki bit her tongue, knowing what she was about to say.

She reminded herself that goal was out of reach. It was ruined by rage, bottled up emotions, and held tongues. Hopefully, something survived it. She would need at least a piece or else she was certain that she would wither away like a rose in the dark, dying a miserable death away from the sun, away from a love she was once so certain of. Tears slid down her cheek.

--

Nao frowned deeply; really, why did she have to get all of the hard jobs? She almost would rather deal with an enraged Viola than what she was going to have to do. Really, talking to Shiho was annoying enough, but acknowledging that her Otome power was useful and not completely stupid was even worse.

Shiho laughed smugly after Nao explained the situation to her. "So, you need my help?" the pink-haired young woman said with a look on her face that made Nao just want to punch her in the jaw.

"It's not that I need your help. Our idiot principal needs your help. So how about you not be a complete jackass for ten seconds and help?" Nao proposed through gritted teeth. It would not be so bad if Shiho did not have that damned expression on her face, she thought.

"This is how you ask for help?" Shiho asked incredulously. She turned her nose up at the Column and scoffed.

"Yes, or would you rather see how Shizuru-san asks for help?" Nao countered sternly.

For a second, Shiho did not see how that was much of a threat, but then an unexpected chill raced down her back, frosting her spine over. There was just something in Nao's eyes that conveyed a message that let Shiho know that she did not want to deal with Shizuru right now. She gulped at the thought of the Third Column just from the strange look in Nao's eyes. She never had that reaction before, but it did make her rethink her position on things.

Shiho suddenly smiled brightly. "Well, it is for our beloved Headmaster after all," she remarked.

Nao smiled smugly now. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Shiho muttered under her breath, pretty much cursing Nao out and wishing horrible things on the redhead. She then pulled out her "voodoo" doll and proceeded to crank it. "Maki maki…"

--

Next time: what things are Nao and Shiho up to? Natsuki calls a meeting to discuss the fact that she's leaving.


	22. The end of the world

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

22: The end of the world

Natsuki's headache from a couple of days ago stayed with her. At first, it was so bad that she had to stay in bed, unable to even be awake because of the pounding in her head. For once, when she called in sick, she did not have to put up with jokes of suffering from "Shizuru-itis," but she did not have a chance to revel in it. She dared consider that she would have preferred the joke to the reality of why they did not come.

She really wanted to call in again, but it would not do, no matter how badly her head was throbbing in agony. She had to go in to look at schedules to see when she could call the Columns together and figure out who would take her place. Not to mention, she had look at potential replacements for her position as Second Column and principal. At least she had a few ideas about who she would like to take her place, but she still needed to do some research in case others disagreed with her decision.

The easiest thing about finding a replacement was that she only had to look for one person. The new Second Column would also become the principal because that was how she wanted things. Yes, she could easily give the job as principal to Shizuru, as the older woman was supposed to inherit the position should something happen to Natsuki. But, she knew that Shizuru had little desire to be the principal and, sure, she knew that Shizuru would accept the position if necessary, she just did not want to burden Shizuru with a job that she did not want.

To top matters off, she needed to meet with Takeda to figure out their travel plans. At least she was packed, but her father had already contacted her ten times that morning to find out when she was leaving. He and her mother were apparently eager to meet her "beau." She had nearly thrown up when he said that word. Work would actually be welcomed just to get her mind off of the fact that he said that.

"Okay, schedules first, files second, Takeda third," Natsuki reminded herself over and over as she got ready for the day. She really felt like chucking the whole thing and running off to hide some place until the whole thing blew over, but she doubted that would go over well. Miss Maria and her parents would probably sniff her out in no time, possibly coming up with equally horrid punishments for her too.

She thought that she would make it through her first two tasks by lunch because she had to meet with Takeda by then. She did not make it through her first task by lunch. She did not even make halfway through that task by lunch, actually.

She was the only Column with a set schedule, so she did not know when the hell everyone else was free to call a meeting. She just decided to tell them all to come back to Garderobe in two days to talk about her replacement. She hoped by then she would have enough people lined up to avoid having a lengthy meeting because she did not have the time for that; her parents did not have the patience for it either.

Waiting until the last minute, Natsuki left to go meet Takeda for lunch. He rarely came to her office now, feeling that her receptionists were trying to slay him with their gazes; he was quite right about that. He did not know why that was. He could not even go check on Kyoko without being glared at rather coldly by whatever students he happened to pass. Hell, Kyoko even glared at him and was openly hostile toward him, which explained why he had not been by to check on her in a while. He hoped that it was just some phase that she was going through because it was part of his job to check on her regularly.

Natsuki silently prayed for strength when she saw Takeda waiting for her by the park entrance. She took a breath in the final stretch before she was standing before him. He was smiling, silently praying himself; he hoped that she was in a better mood than she had been the last time that he saw her.

"Good to see you, Natsuki-san," Takeda greeted her. He wanted to lean down and kiss her, but he was not sure if it was safe move yet. He felt like he needed to judge her mood before trying anything.

"Good to see you too," Natsuki lied, sounding almost normal as she said that. She did not want to see anybody really, but he was high on the list. In fact, he was probably number one on the list.

Takeda tried to gauge the principal with that response. He believed her words, but the look in her eyes seemed to suggestion "touch me and die a painful, horrible, unspeakable death." He did not want to risk her eyes being right, so he did not lean in for a kiss of any type.

"So, I was thinking that we might leave three days from now. Good?" Takeda asked as they started walking. It would not look good for them to stand in front of the park and talk after all. It was not proper.

She sighed; it was a sound that would have made passersby think that she was going to be executed soon. "I don't know if I'll be ready by then," she said honestly. Well, really, she probably never would be ready, but three days was way too soon. She was not sure if she would have all of her affairs wrapped up by then.

"It'll be fine. If not, you can arrange everything through communications, right?" he proposed as if it would be no trouble at all.

Natsuki frowned; he was already acting like a stereotypical husband from her homeland, trivializing things in her life and telling her what to do. She was close to punching him in the face; her hand actually trembled with held back desired and balled up into a fist. Damn her father's punishment for such actions, her brain commented, urging her hand out; her hand did not move to connect with his face, though. She released her fist to avoid striking him.

Her mind dared think that Takeda's words were infinitely worse than Shizuru's teasing ever could be for the simple fact that he was serious. At least Shizuru only did it to entertain herself…or deal with situations that overwhelmed her; Natsuki was aware of that latter part, but often forgot it.

"It's not that easy. I have to find a proper replacement and it has to be okayed by a few people," Natsuki pointed out through gritted teeth. She needed the other Columns to vote and the staff of Garderobe to also agree since her replacement would not just be taking her place as second Column, but also principal.

"You could still meet with them over the phone," he countered, trying to give her suggestions to make leaving easier.

Natsuki growled and made a fist again. Her breathing became slightly erratic. She was going to have to hit him, she decided. She would deal with her parents later on if need be, but she definitely had to hit Takeda. As she raised her fist to put it in his teeth, she swung and hit air. She blinked hard in confusion; was he some kind of wizard? How the hell did he just vanish like that?

"What the hell?" she muttered to herself while keeping her arm in the air.

A noise that seemed to come from lower than expected caught her attention. Natsuki turned to ahead of her and noticed that there were stairs ahead of her. At the bottom of the small flight of steps lay her fiancé, a grimace on his face as he sat on the ground holding his ankle. Apparently, Takeda had fallen down the stairs.

"With luck, he broke his fucking leg," Natsuki mumbled as she slowly descended the steps to check on the current ass.

--

"Did the curse thing work or what?" Nao asked Shiho in a very annoyed voice. She was standing her arms folded across her chest and her gaze was set on her nails rather than at the other Otome. She was hoping that Shiho had just seriously injured that man trying to take Natsuki away. That way, Natsuki would have to stick around for a while and it would give Shizuru a chance to fix everything. Plus, it would be a nice punishment for that jerk trying to take the principal in the first place!

"Of course it worked!" Shiho huffed, her own arms going across her chest. Her curses always worked and she was certain that damned man was wailing in dire agony as they spoke!

"How the hell can you curse someone you've never met or seen before from hundreds of miles away anyway?" Nao inquired with an arched eyebrow. She was actually curious as to how that would work, even though it was her idea to come to Shiho anyway. She had seen the curses do some amazing things, but now that she stopped to think about, all of those things had been when Shiho at least knew the person that she was trying to hurt.

"Just know that it does work!" Shiho replied arrogantly. "And if you don't stop doubting me, I'll curse you too."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Nao said flippantly, dismissing it all with a wave of her hand. If Shiho wanted to do anything to her, she was sure the pink-haired Otome would have done it a long time ago. "Well, I've got to go see what havoc you've wrought and hope that it did work or Viola will be picking her teeth with both of our spines."

Nao made her getaway before Shiho had a chance to inquire as to what was going on. The redheaded Column did hope that curse worked or else they could all kiss the headmaster goodbye. Not to mention she might lose her head to a very pissed off Shizuru. The thought caused her to gulp.

"If this didn't work, I'm killing Shiho before I die. Like hell I'm going down alone in this mess!" Nao silently decided. Hell, she might have to kill that idiot Kruger too if things got messed up any further.

--

Natsuki sighed as she waited for Takeda to get through with his visit to the doctor. Apparently, the jackass (as she was now referring to him mentally) broke his ankle falling down the stairs in the park. _Idiot_.

"Well, Masashi-san—" the doctor started to report, but he did not make it that far.

"The name's Kruger," Natsuki corrected him in a cold tone. She damn sure would not be changing her name to Masashi, even if she was marrying him.

"Oh, forgive me, Kruger-san," the doctor said and he had to pause to correct his speech. He had everything worked out in his head where he was going to refer to Takeda as her husband and everything, but it would seem that would be inappropriate. "Your friend should be fine. He should be in a wheelchair for a few days and then he can move up to crutches. You can take him home whenever you want," he informed her.

"Thank you," Natsuki said with a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. There was too much crap going on right now, she silently complained.

The principal had to take a deep breath before she went to retrieve her jackass. Was that what she had to look forward to the rest of her life? Being with a jackass that she had nothing in common with outside of the fact that they were both from the boondocks of the world? To think, she had always assumed that she would spend the rest of her life with…she halted the thought.

"No need to think about that," Natsuki muttered to herself. There was no reason to think about something that was gone and lost forever. Her heart did crack a bit, trying not to think about it.

She went to go pick up her fiancé, wheeling him out of the hospital. He was rambling about something, but the only thing that she was picking up was that he was still intent on leaving in three days. She frowned and considered pushing him down another flight of stairs or just solving her problems by pushing him into traffic. She could imagine calling her parents now and explaining that her fiancé had died in a terrible traffic accident.

"They probably wouldn't even believe me," Natsuki muttered. She could picture her mother calling her outright liar and she would have to bring Takeda's body back home to prove that he was dead.

"Did you say something, Natsuki?" Takeda asked, turning around to look at her.

"No, nothing," she lied, focusing ahead of her and trying to ignore the bus coming down the street. It would be so easy to slide him in front of that bus, she dared to consider.

"So, you should make sure that you have everything ready to leave in three days. I'll arrange the travel and everything, okay?"

The raven-haired woman scowled deeply; if she kept it up, the lines would be etched permanently on her face. There was no way in hell she was going to be ready to leave in three days, not that he was listening to that and she doubted that her parents would either if she told them either. Three days were not enough, but no amount of time would be enough, she figured.

Natsuki dropped Takeda off at his hotel, not bothering to stick around to help him with anything. She had a lot to do and left him without a second thought. She did not even tell him to call her if he needed anything.

"Fuck," Natsuki cursed in frustration as she marched back to the school, hoping to get everything worked out.

She marched into her office, noticing out of the corner of her eye Shiori about to open her mouth. She knew it was going to be to reprimand her for being late. She shot the young Pearl a glare, which silenced her immediately.

"I know I'm late. I'll handle it," Natsuki huffed. It was surprising that fire did not shot out of her nose from the way she sounded.

She slammed her door so hard, the walls shook while Shiori damn near jumped out of her skin. Nastuki threw herself into her chair and sighed while trying to do some work to be ready to leave in three days. It was hard to concentrate as her phone started going off five seconds later. She growled when she found out it was Takeda.

"No, I can't come back to the hotel to help you. I've got shit to do," Natsuki said through gritted teeth. What the fuck was wrong with him? She already told him everything that she had to do and now he thought that she was supposed to drop that to take care of his stupid ass? _Jackass_.

"I'm sure you could get someone to fill in for you. They have to learn how to get along without you anyway," Takeda pointed out.

Natsuki actually hung up. She did not bother to yell, scream, or curse. She just hung up the phone on him as if it was the most normal and easiest thing to do. She then got Shiori on the line.

"Yes, Headmaster?" Shiori asked.

"If that man calls again, don't put him through to me," Natsuki stated.

Shiori was silent for a moment. The order shocked her. "Yes, ma'am," she acknowledged, sounding quite cheerful in that response, but the principal ignored that.

With that distraction out of the way, Natsuki was able to get some work done. She arranged for the Columns to meet to discuss her replacement and she got together enough potential replacements that she figured even if they could not decide on someone at the meeting, they would eventually be able to pick someone out that she liked.

Natsuki retired to her apartment when work was done and slept. She wanted to sleep the rest of her life away now, but doubted that would be possible. Instead, she slept that night, awoke that morning, and had to fight off crying as she realized that tomorrow would be her last night there. It would be her last night in that bed, in that apartment, in that school, in that life.

The thought was so overwhelming that Natsuki felt like she might cry yet again. She had lived in that apartment for six years, all of those with Shizuru. Just thinking about Shizuru was enough to bring the strong principal to her knees, so she banished the thoughts from her head, forgetting that she was going to see the Third Column soon enough. She was going to be meeting with the other Columns today, after all.

It took a lot of power for Natsuki to drag herself to her office. She wanted to clean up before the other Columns showed up. She also was not going to have much of a chance to do it tomorrow and she did not want her successor to inherit her mess. Besides, it was something to do.

--

"So, is he dead yet or what?" Nao inquired, speaking to Shizuru as they walked down the well-lit hall of Garderobe. They were on their way to the special meeting; they had no clue what it was in regards to. She really did not care if Takeda died because of the curse; hell, death would solve the problem faster than Shizuru would be able to get through to that stupid dog, in the redhead's opinion anyway.

"I've heard he broke his ankle," Shizuru replied blandly.

"What?! That's it! I knew her stupid curses were worthless!" Nao griped and then she took a sidelong glance at the older woman. "You're going to kill me now, aren't you?" she asked quite seriously.

"I'm still considering it," Shizuru answered in a humorless, plain tone.

"I guess it would have been better for Shiho to at least see him or something to know who she was cursing. Or maybe she's just as useless as I first thought," Nao mused aloud, a finger to her chin as if she was in deep thought. She seemed quite accepting of her fate, they both noted, but Shizuru did not comment on it.

Shizuru was not willing to devote much time to think about Nao's state of mind, allowing her own to preoccupy her. She would soon be without her Natsuki. The thought horrified her in a way that she could not put into words. She might as well be without the sun, the moon, and fresh air. The world had already seemed to have lost its luster thanks to their relationship ending, but at least before she would have been able to see Natsuki. Now, she would not even be able to look upon her world, her Natsuki's precious face.

The only thing carrying Shizuru to the meeting was the fact that she would get to see Natsuki one last time. If not for that fact, she would have stayed in bed and wept into her pillow before possibly smothering herself. In fact, smothering herself held the same place in her thoughts as killing Nao; she was still considering it.

Shizuru did not make any decisions by the time they came to the principal's office. She and Nao entered at the same time; Shizuru forgot to knock as she was not yet in the habit of doing so. Natsuki was sitting her at her desk, back straight, head high, determined look in her eyes; she appeared to be the most dignified Otome a person could ever meet. It was quite her typical look when she was in "headmaster mode."

"I'm glad you two could make it. Have a seat, please. Sarah and Maya should be here in a moment," Natsuki informed the pair as she motioned to the seats in front of her desk. There were four waiting chairs around the principal's desk.

Shizuru and Nao sat down without a word. They sat as far apart as possible. Natsuki thought that was odd, but did not have the time to figure it out. Sarah and Maya entered seconds later. Greetings were exchanged and after the last two Columns sat down, they got to business.

"As you all know, I'm currently engaged. I've been called back home to plan the wedding and I have to leave the day after tomorrow," Natsuki informed them in a business-like tone.

"Day after tomorrow?" Shizuru echoed, succeeding in hiding her shock. Her heart did contract harshly in her chest and she almost brought up her hand to soothe away the pain, but she knew that nothing would soothe that ache away.

"Isn't that a little too soon?" Sarah asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Really, I mean, this is very short notice," Maya added. To her, Natsuki might as well be leaving in an hour, considering what they should have to take care of before her departure.

Natsuki continued to look determined, despite the fact that she wanted nothing more than to sigh and agree with them. She was so close to begging her comrades and friends to help her, but she would not burden them with that. She would not falter. She would accept her sentencing with dignity and pride, like an Otome always showed.

"I understand it is short notice, but it can't be helped. My family is anxious and eager to for my return. If I don't do so immediately, it could cause trouble between the school and Saxas," Natsuki pointed out. Saxas was her home kingdom, a small country that was ruled over by her father.

"You make a point, but still, don't your parents realize how much you have to do here and you need more time to get your affairs in order?" Sarah inquired. She could not quite wrap her mind around their principal leaving so soon without anything in order from what she could tell.

"My parents…can be stubborn," Natsuki replied, glancing away for a moment. She felt that was the best way for her to put it.

"I guess that's where you get it from, eh?" Nao remarked, forcing out a smirk, even though her eyes showed just how she felt. She looked quite sour, sitting there with her eyes focused on the desk rather than the headmaster. Her body was stiff, like she could not be moved with a steel beam.

Natsuki's mouth twitched; she was close to frowning. She really did not want to be compared to her parents right now. They were ruining her life, after all…again. Her parents had a long track record of turning her life upside down and thinking nothing of it. She figured that she would learn to stop resenting it…maybe next time.

"Either way. I've done the best I can with straightening up any loose ends here. I've got a stack of people that I think would work best as my replacements as both Second Column and principal." Natsuki put her hand on a neat pile of folders to her right. "I approve all of these people. All you four need to do is agree on one of them. I don't know if we'll be able to do that right now, but if you wish to try, we can."

"It's not so easy to pick another Column," Maya pointed out. "Not just another Column, but the principal too."

The other three Columns nodded in agreement with that. Natsuki was possibly the hardest of them to replace because she was the principal along with being the Second Column. Making things worse, despite how incompetent or slow Natsuki might appear, she was actually damn good at her job, especially when she focused. Even when Natsuki thought that she was not good at something, she managed to pull it off through grit and some luck. She was leaving behind some pretty big shoes to fill.

"I don't like the idea of doing this without you here," Sarah commented, eyes on the pile of replacements. None of them had replaced a Column that was not present at the time and she did not see why that should be any different with Natsuki.

"This is how it's going to have to be. I don't want to stress things between the school and Saxas. So, this is what I leave you all with. In my absence, Shizuru will run things until a replacement is decided on," Natsuki stated in her business-like tone.

There were nods of agreement with that. They were all in too much shock to really discuss the issues; it was coming too rapidly for them. Natsuki was leaving tomorrow; it was too soon. Way too soon and there was so much to do that she would not be able to be a part of. They were going to need time to figure it all out.

Shizuru was so stunned that she did not even think to thank Natsuki by not giving her the job as principal. All she could think about was how Natsuki was about to be out of her life for good in less than two days. Her mind was whirling from that. It seemed so impossible. How could Natsuki possibly leave her?

"If you ladies need a moment or two, you can take these files and have Shiori make copies for you. Go through them on your own before you come back together, but make sure you go through them all with careful consideration," Natsuki ordered.

The Columns all nodded and they got out of their seats. Natsuki remained seated and watched them go. She was going to be strong, she told herself. She was going to be…

"Shizuru," Natsuki said before the Third Column made it to the door. The other three continued on their way. Shizuru turned to face the principal, wondering what Natsuki wanted with her.

The ruby-eyed Otome felt her heart began to race. What did Natsuki want from her? She tried to will her heart to slow down, be normal, because she was certain Natsuki wanted her for something work related. After all, Natsuki seemed to be intent on going home and getting married.

"Yes?" Shizuru replied, sounding so close to normal that it was hard to believe that she was ready to fall out. Her heart was still going a mile-a-minute. Why was she so hopeful? The principal more than likely just wanted to fill her in on what she would be doing as interim principal.

"Um…" Natsuki stood up, resolving wavering, soul trembling, desire and need trying to claw at her. She walked over to Shizuru and swallowed hard as her throat seized up. Her palms got sweaty and a bead of sweat went down her cheek. Her heart pounded so loudly that she was certain the school could hear it. Was her determination so weak? "…I fixed all of the filing for you, so you don't have to complain about my screwy system like you used to…" she said. Okay, her resolve seemed well.

Shizuru's heart sank. "Thank you…" she muttered for lack of a better thing to say. She felt like such a fool for getting her hopes up. Natsuki was leaving, getting married, and she would be alone, unloved, and forever in pain because of that.

--

Next time: Does Natsuki let Shizuru walk out of that door, out of her life?


	23. A matter of moments

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

23: A matter of moments

Shizuru turned, planning to walk out of the principal's office, which was soon to be her office, if only for a little while; longer than she liked. Her shoulders wanted so badly to slump, but she held them square and taunt; to the point that she considered that she might actually shatter her shoulder blades. Her head wanted to drop, but she held it up high with her usual style and grace, as if she was perfect. Her heart wanted to burst and she allowed it, as long as there were no tears, which she bit back with all of the strength inside of her. The outside had to remain strong and perfect, like always.

The inside, though, everything was done. All of her organs dissolved in dust and ash to be blown away in the slightest, bitter wind. She could not stop it, did not try. As long as she appeared fine on the outside, she would be able to face Natsuki one last time, although that had already happened. Still, she needed to walk out of the office with dignity. She needed to be strong for only a few more seconds.

Natsuki started trembling as she watched Shizuru turning to go to the door. She made fists, hoping to steady her body, but also she succeeded in doing was injuring her palms with her nails while the tremors grew stronger. Her heart felt like it turned to ashes in her chest, leading the way for everything else in her body. The whole of her felt like it transformed into useless debris as she watched Shizuru's back and waited the eternity it seemed for Shizuru to even make it to the door. Who knew how long it would take the older Otome to even walk through it, to walk away forever.

The raven-haired woman told herself that she needed to let Shizuru leave. She needed to keep her resolve. She needed to be strong and let Shizuru live her life. She was certain that she could do that one last thing for Shizuru. She loved Shizuru, so she had to let her go and stop causing Shizuru so much pain.

Shizuru was thinking the same thing with Natsuki, which was why she was able to clutch the doorknob in with a stable hand. The only steady hand in the whole office actually. She had to hide the other in her pocket, as twitched and shook as if it was having a seizure all its own.

Natsuki's hands were shaking, even though they were in tight fists. Her body quivered with such intensity that she was certain her bones were shuddering in tone with her nerves. Her heart, dead as it was, dug itself out its grave to scream, hoping that in the void that was Natsuki's soul, hopes, and dreams someone would hear.

"Shizuru," Natsuki said again, halting her former lover yet again. Her voice sounded strained and almost hitched in her throat, but something forced the name out.

"Yes?" Shizuru inquired in a neutral tone while slowly turning to face the principal. She expected to see the business-like expression and posture of the principal, but that was not the cause.

Shizuru was surprised by what happened next. Natsuki marched over to her with powerful strides and embraced her out of the blue. Before she could grasp that she was being held, and her heart was racing thanks to the embrace, Natsuki buried her head in her shoulder and began to openly weep. Shizuru blinked hard before doing what she felt came naturally, instinctively.

The older woman returned the embrace and cradled Natsuki's head gently to her. She laid her head in the ebony mane, placing a tender kiss to Natsuki's scalp. The slightly shorter Otome only cried harder thanks to the loving embrace. Shizuru gently caressed her beloved's head, trying bring some comfort to Natsuki.

"I don't wanna…I don't wanna…I don't wanna…" Natsuki mumbled over and over into the tanned-haired woman's shoulder. She was not totally sure what she wanted to say, but she had to get something out. She just had so many pent up emotions that they needed to get out.

"Shh. It'll be all right," Shizuru said in a soothing tone, even though she was not quite sure what it was that Natsuki did not want. There were a few possibilities, after all. Still, she held her former girlfriend and caressed with all the care that she had inside of her.

"I don't wanna…" Natsuki continued to chant, tears streaming down her face without shame or remorse.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You know that by now. I'm sure if you talk to your parents…" Shizuru trailed off, waiting for some sign that she was traveling the right road that was bothering her beloved.

"I don't care about them!" the principal practically roared like a fire-breathing dragon.

"That's not true. You're just upset with them. I'm sure if you talk to them, they will let you get married on your own terms."

"I don't wanna get married, not to Takeda anyway! Damn it, Shizuru, I don't wanna lose you!" Natsuki declared passionately as she pulled away to look her ex-girlfriend in the face. "I don't want to leave you!"

Tears gathered in Shizuru's eyes, but she did not get a chance to take any of those words in. She did not get a chance to immediately rejoice in hearing the proclamation. She did not even get a chance to comprehend the weight of everything because Natsuki was not done yet.

Natsuki attacked with a kiss, pressing her lips desperately to Shizuru's shocked mouth. Shizuru quickly melted into the kiss, missing the intimate contact with her beloved. It felt like the sun shone directly on them as they shared that kiss. It was perfectly heavenly, chasing away so many negative and unwanted feelings that had been slowly destroying them for longer than they thought possible.

Their embrace morphed as the kiss continued. They were now clutching onto each other for dear life, as if they were falling from a cliff and one could act as a parachute for the other. They never wanted to let each other go.

The kiss reinforced that notion. The show of affection seemed as if they were trying to take in the other's soul. It was as if the kiss brought them back to life, gave them reasons to live life to the fullest rather than to drift through existing on a base level. They were alive again, the world had color again, the planet held warmth, there were smells and sensations that existed to them again.

The kiss went from a simple soft movement of their lips against each other to a meeting of their tongues, which seemed to connect them on every level that they could imagine. The kiss told them that they were made for each other and that they were special to each other in ways other people would never figure out. It was like their first kiss, they realized. Just like their first kiss, they pulled away only for the need of air.

Breathing was not allotted much time. They charged in for another kiss, saliva exchange starting that one instead of the innocent peck that began the first one. Heat that would make Hell look like the artic was in that kiss, which explained why hands started tugging at clothes. They wanted to wrap themselves in each other, to be one with each other.

Natsuki made the first move again, unbuttoning Shizuru's Otome uniform. Her hands moved swiftly, almost frantically. Typically, she would be tripping over her fingers in making such moves in such haste and with such eagerness, but at the moment, she was moving with a different type of zeal. So, her fingers were true to their mark, wanting to get to Shizuru as much as all other parts of Natsuki.

Shizuru did not need a signal flare to return the favor, practically yanking Natsuki's jacket from her body. Founder, she was happy that Natsuki wore such a revealing shirt under the jacket all the time; it certainly made things easier for her questing fingers. Her hands frantically caressed every inch of the creamy skin that was hidden under the jacket. Her fingertips practically screamed in delight, getting a chance to touch that which was hers, but had been denied to her for what seemed like since time began.

The kiss was broken for a moment as Natsuki had to pull Shizuru's dress down. Shizuru stepped out of the uniform, going in for another heated kiss in almost the same motion. The older woman's hands did not stop on seeking more of Natsuki's flesh, even as the molten kiss continued on. She quickly got Natsuki out of her shirt while the principal fiddled with the older woman's bra. Being quite the experts at getting each other undressed, they were feeling skin contact in no time.

Hands gently groped for tantalizing flesh that had been longed for. They both let loose light moans into each other's mouths, tickling the back of their throats. Even their breaths held like caresses, so they cherished those sensations along with any others that came. They wanted more touches, _needed_ more contact.

Shizuru reached down for Natsuki's leg, planning to hook it around her thigh. She felt the brush of cloth against her, which reminded her that Natsuki was still wearing pants. She solved that problem posthaste, but it started another problem.

Natsuki had to pull away to step out of her pants, but Shizuru was not willing to let her go. So, whenever she stepped back, the taller woman followed. Her pants did drop to her ankles, but she could not get out of them. The only reason that she made it out of the pants was because Shizuru stepped on the cuff as she chased Natsuki to continue their delightful kiss.

Now that Natsuki was pants-less, Shizuru went back to trying to wrap the younger woman's leg around her own, pulling their bodies closer. That touch got them both to hiss, drawing air out of each other to make the noise. Shizuru also tried to keep backing her precious one up, partially aware that the desk was nearby. Natsuki had to hop to keep up with Shizuru and when she got to the desk, she realized just what Shizuru planned to do.

Natsuki smirked to herself as she felt Shizuru trying to pressure her onto the desk. Any other time, she would have gladly given Shizuru just what she wanted, but not that day. Today, she wanted it all. Today, she wanted to prove that Shizuru was all hers and she would never let go of the older woman.

The emerald-eyed Otome surprised Shizuru by spinning them around at the last moment, pinning the older woman between her body and the desk. Shizuru's eyes went wide as she felt the cool wood on her burning skin and she squealed in shock, which Natsuki swallowed down because of their kiss. The principal did smirk to herself, enjoying that reaction a great deal.

Shizuru seemed to know that Natsuki was internally laughing at her because she "punished" the raven-haired woman. She lightly raked her nails up and down Natsuki's toned back and abdomen, knowing how much the sensation got to her beloved. It was now Natsuki's turn to make a noise, a long hiss and then a groan. Shizuru's eyes sparkled with mischief and raw heat that begged to be tapped and used.

Natsuki reached down and lifted Shizuru up, earning a surprised squeak from the fair-haired Otome. Natsuki sat Shizuru down on the wooden surface and started to pull away from excited lips. Shizuru whined slightly as the warm, loving mouth was taken from her.

Shizuru was about to protest, but her neck was attacked by an eager, hungry mouth. She cried out, loudly, as Natsuki seemed to want to devour her. She quieted down somewhat as her love continued on nibbling, but she wrapped her arms around Natsuki, silently pleading with her to stay right where she was.

Natsuki continued on kissing, sucking, and biting at Shizuru's inviting neck while her hands worked her way down to Shizuru's waist. Her fingertips enjoyed the journey and even though she knew the destination was the most heavenly point, she could not help taking in some of the other scenes on the way. She glided her hands across well-endowed hills, touched the plane of her tummy as if it was made of silk, and circled around the bellybutton as if her fingers were water going down a drain. And then she was at her destination.

The younger Otome took hold of the taller woman's underwear band and almost ripped them as she pulled them down Shizuru's long legs. She managed to remove the troublesome barrier; not knowing or caring if they were torn. She hurried her fingers back to the top of those darling, attractive legs and dived right in to her desire, surprising Shizuru once again, but she did not object.

Shizuru's grip on Natsuki merely got tighter as those loving finger danced around her most intimate area, touching her in a way that only Natsuki could, making her feel. It was like lava and clouds were running through her, fiery, light, and fluffy. It was almost like she would burst into flames while floating away.

She buried her head in crook connecting Natsuki's shoulder and neck, crying out into the pale, creamy flesh as the younger woman made her soul sing. It did not take long before she was actually crying out, practically singing herself as Natsuki brought her to the edge of oblivion. Her hips seemed to move on their own, driving her closer to paradise and closer to her beloved.

Shizuru was near tears, her nails biting into Natsuki's now flushed red flesh, silently begging for more, pleading for Natsuki to be closer. No pain registered into Natsuki's mind. All she was thinking about was making Shizuru feel like the sun was made just for her and she was not done yet.

The older woman was still riding high on the wave of ecstasy that Natsuki caused when she felt herself being pushed further onto the desk. She did not resist nor did she care as she heard several items fall to the floor with various volume levels. Besides, her moaning drowned the noises out halfway through because Natsuki continued on caressing her, loving her with tender hands and mouth.

Shizuru only began to realize that she was now lying down on the desk when she felt Natsuki blazing hot mouth on her collar bone; the contrast with the chilled desk reached her brain, but was not there long. Natsuki delivering wet, affectionate open-mouth kisses to her chest soon replaced everything in Shizuru's mind.

"Natsuki…" Shizuru whispered in a gentle like a prayer as she brought her hands back around her beloved.

The name was ignored. The principal had a mission and she would not be deterred by anything, even her love speaking her name. She kissed her way to the valley of Shizuru's breasts. She placed an extra-wet and sweet kiss before licking the area, loving the taste of wonderful woman underneath her. Shizuru let out a high pitch moan while wiggling a little because of the enchanting attention.

Natsuki did not seem bothered by the movement. She tenderly nipped at her lover's skin, moving like a curious puppy. She even nosed around the left mound before kissing and licking the well-endowed rise. Her hand went to occupy the right breast, kneading the flesh with all the care in the world as if she was afraid that she could deform the bundle. Shizuru arched into the touches, silently imploring for more.

The raven-haired woman obliged with pleas, her mouth making its way to the peak of the mount that she was giving her attention to. Her hand did the same and when she closed around the two pearls topping the jewels in her grip, Shizuru cried out like a waking bird. Natsuki seemed to notice that and took it as a sign of encouragement, stepping up her game, so to speak, caressing, kissing, suckling, and biting more so than before.

Natsuki's mind was practically blank, filled only with thoughts of Shizuru, doing things to Shizuru, keeping Shizuru. Her body ran on those thoughts alone, not needing anything else, ever. She felt like Shizuru would quench any thirst that she had, feed any hunger that dug at her, and soothe any pain from any wound. All she needed was Shizuru.

Shizuru was of like mind. All she wanted to think about was Natsuki. All she could focus on was the sensation that only Natsuki could or would bring her. It was like being surrounded by Natsuki, as if the principal was her air, her light, her life. She felt whole, complete when she was with Natsuki. She could only go on with Natsuki by her side and she held onto Natsuki as if trying to remind the younger woman of that through clinging to her.

Natsuki seemed to get the message and figured that it was time to take things to their rightful conclusion. She crawled on top of the desk, practically hovering over her beloved, only loosing contact with Shizuru's body for a couple of seconds. Shizuru did not even have time to whine from the lack of warmth before what her heart desired returned. Warmth turned into pure fire as Natsuki settled in between her legs and slowly started grinding against her.

Shizuru cried out loudly, mouth opened wide for just enough time for Natsuki to claim it with her lips and tongue. Shizuru met her with as much enthusiasm as soon as she realized that Natsuki was kissing her. She did cry out over and over again, all of that swallowed down by her beloved, as if Natsuki was taking her in through her thrilled screams. She took in Natsuki in the same way, drinking in soft moans and enthralled cries.

At some point in time, which neither woman noticed, they interlaced their fingers in one hand. The other hands dug into Natsuki's shoulder and caressed Shizuru's thigh. They moved as one forever as far as they were concerned. The rest of the world drifted away and they were the only two in existence, their feeling the only thing that mattered. The fire between them built until they both felt like they combusted, breaking their kiss to moan loudly.

The loving noise echoed through the office. It hung in the air for moment, but the aroma of their actions lingered. They did not notice and would not care if they did notice. They would only feel stroked by the smell, like they were by the feeling of giving each other all that they could.

Natsuki's body dropped onto Shizuru's as soon as she hit the zenith of her journey. Her left leg trembled as her body calmed down. Shizuru smiled when she felt the shaking against her thigh. She looked down at her flushed lover, seeing Natsuki's creamy skin was a bright scarlet in some places, but dark crimson in others; those were the places that Shizuru clutched her, apparently to the point of bruising. Natsuki snuggled her face into Shizuru's neck once she was calm enough to move; their fingers remained intertwined.

They were silent for several seconds, wanting nothing more than for the moment to last forever. They listened to each other's breathing and felt each other's heart beating against their own ribs. It all made it feel as if they were one body, one mind, and one soul. Everything seemed as it was supposed to be.

"You know…we probably shoulda locked the door," Natsuki remarked in a low, tired tone. She would have glanced in the direction of the door, but she could not muster enough energy to waste on that.

"Ara, ara, I figure by now if someone walks in on us, it's their own fault for what they see. Although I dislike it whenever someone sees my Natsuki's bare bottom," Shizuru quipped with a lighthearted laugh while lazily caressing the aforementioned body part and pressing the owner just a little closer to hers.

Natsuki actually laughed a bit, her breath tickling her lover's skin. "It's nice being _your_ Natsuki. I missed it. I missed you," she confessed. She then placed a gentle kiss to Shizuru's throat as if that cemented the confession and made it all the more true.

"I missed you too," Shizuru replied, pulling Natsuki even closer to her with her free hand. "I want you to always be mine."

"I want to always be yours too. Just like I want you to always be mine."

Shizuru nodded in agreement. As they were, this was the meaning of heaven for the both of them. Why should they break it apart? Why should they leave paradise when they could always be together? That would be the very meaning of insanity as far as Shizuru was concerned.

"So…does that mean…we're back together?" Natsuki inquired, eyes focused on the sweet-smelling skin that she was cuddled against. She hoped that it did because she needed Shizuru more than she needed air.

"Aren't you still engaged?" the crimson-eyed woman asked, almost as if she was teasing with the question.

"I don't wanna be engaged, not to that idiot anyway. I much rather this idiot." Natsuki gave Shizuru a light squeeze, causing smiles to creep onto both of their face.

The older Otome smiled. "I thought your father would be upset with you."

Natsuki was quiet for a second or so, indicating that there was a truth to Shizuru's words. There was a deep truth to it. A truth that was so intense that it almost pushed her to let Shizuru walk out of the door and out of her life.

"Well, he will upset, but that's nothing new. I mean, this upset might be different, but he's almost always upset with me. He was upset with me when I was five and climbed up this huge tree only to fall out of it and break my arm. He was upset with me when I was seven and got into the hobby of fighting with his guards. He was upset with me when my brothers taught me to box and set me loose in a village, promising candy for every flattened boy I came across. He was upset with me for taking my training as a princess lightly. He was upset with me for becoming a Column. He's always upset with me. He'll deal," the raven-haired woman replied with a shrug, as if it was nothing.

"So, you're willing to anger your father and risk messing up diplomatic relations with Garderobe and Saxas just for me?" Shizuru inquired, a small smile playing on her lips. She was not amused, but touched and her ruby eyes shone because of that. The matter that Natsuki was risking was quite serious since it could possibly affect the school and a nation that only just began to trust Otome since Natsuki's arrival at Garderobe.

"Damn right I am. I know I can't ever be happy unless you're with me, Shizuru. I mean, you drive me crazy half the time and not in a good way, but I can't be happy without you. I need you. I need you more than anything else in existence. We're going to have problems and arguments, I know that, but we're going to have more good times and keep sharing this deep love that we have. I want to go through this life, hell, any life, with you," Natsuki declared soundly, leaning up to look at her love in the eye.

There was a look in her emerald eyes that was a mix of several emotions. She would obviously take on the world single-handedly for Shizuru right now, despite everything that happened between them. Her words seemed like they were etched in stone, signed with love by the look in her eyes.

Shizuru felt tears welling up in her eyes; that was the single most romantic thing that Natsuki said to her short of the first time that the younger woman professed to being in love her. The expression in those jade pools made the statement infinitely more powerful and intense. Before Shizuru could muster any words to respond, her tears slid delicately down her cheeks. Natsuki saw and her eyes seemed to moisten with concern. She reached up to wipe away the tears.

"Natsuki…" Shizuru said, not sure what wanted to come out of her mouth, but knowing that she wanted to respond to such kind words.

"Shh. Believe it or not, the tears say a lot more than you could," Natsuki replied. After all, Shizuru did not cry. Sure, she faked it a lot of the time, but she never truly wept until now. Her tears told a story words would never be able to tell, expressed what Shizuru was going through in a way that words could only envy.

"I just love you so much that sometimes I don't even know how to act. When I tease you sometimes, it's because of that. I just don't know how to act or respond, so I tease you because it's what we're both familiar with…" the elder female tried to explain her behavior and why she sometimes drove Natsuki crazy without meaning to.

"I know."

They were silent for a moment before Shizuru thought to mention a key piece of information. "I'm not with Nao."

Natsuki's brow furrowed; she had actually forgotten about that until just now. "But, I saw you kiss her."

"Technically, she kissed me. I was hysterical at the time and she wished to calm me down. According to her, it was kiss me or slap me. She was accurate in assuming that slapping me at the time would have resulted in her death. I still might have to kill her though," Shizuru admitted quite honestly.

"I won't object, but wait until we have a Fourth Column lined up," the principal remarked. She wanted to sound serious, but it was clearly a joke to her lover's well-trained ears.

"Well, you do have a whole pile of people ready for your place. Surely one of them could fill in for Nao-san."

"I'm sure. Now, I'd rather not talk or even think about Nao while we're both lying here naked, with the door unlocked," Natsuki commented.

Shizuru smiled, deciding to take the hint rather than taunt her beloved. She began to sit up and Natsuki followed. They sat up on the desk, both taking a moment to look at the mess that they made. The desk was now wet and its contents were on the floor. Natsuki did not seem to care and just wanted to know where Shizuru had thrown her underwear, so she could get dressed before someone barged in.

Natsuki only had the chance to spot her panties a couple of feet away on the floor before she felt pressure on her back. She sighed contently in time with Shizuru, who was hugging the principal from behind. Natsuki was ready to start another session as she felt Shizuru's breasts pressing into her bare back.

"Hey, hey, hey, the door's not locked," Natsuki said again, swatting at her frisky lover.

"Ara, ara, Natsuki's no fun," Shizuru playfully pouted.

Natsuki pretended huffed and began collecting her clothing. Shizuru laughed a bit; it was like they had not changed, but, of course, they had. It was nice to be back in their normal mode, though. It was good to be back together.

"So, might I move back into the apartment?" Shizuru inquired while putting her uniform back on.

"Of course," Natsuki answered. She could not even figure out why her lover would bother asking that question. It was going to feel good to have Shizuru back in that huge bed with her.

"Perhaps I'll get a few students to help me take those things back into the apartment," Shizuru mused aloud.

Natsuki balked. "I don't think you wanna do that."

Shizuru's brow wrinkled. "Why would you say that?"

"I don't think you want them to see some of your stuff."

Shizuru was perplexed for a moment, wondering what stuff was making her beloved so nervous. At first, she considered that it might be the possibility of some of her little fans seeing her underwear. And then she realized what Natsuki was really worried about.

"Where did you put all my little toys anyway? I don't recall seeing them in the apartment, not that I had much desire to look for them," Shizuru commented with an amused smile on her face.

Natsuki opened her mouth and was about to answer, but she stopped herself. She knew that saying she hid the box "in the closet" would give Shizuru a huge opening to tease her. She sighed, supposing that would not be a bad thing, but then again, she did not want to be a complete pushover. It was normal to resist.

"You know where they are," Natsuki replied with a forced glare.

Shizuru smiled brightly, showing that she could guess where those things were. She dismissed that thought and marched over to the still-dressing Natsuki. She embraced the shorter woman out of the blue, getting Natsuki to sputter since she was trying to put her jacket back on.

"I love you so much, Natsuki, and nothing will ever change that. Please, tell me whenever I screw up, so that I never push us to this point again," Shizuru whispered into her lover's ear.

"As long as you keep me away from any guy I seem to be getting friendly with," Natsuki remarked with a lopsided grin.

Shizuru chuckled. "It's a deal."

They both smiled and remained hugged up together for several minutes. They remained in that moment for as long as they could; there was no past or future to them. Only that moment. Finally, they both thought; everything felt right again.

--

Next time: how they deal with Takeda and the end.


	24. Heavy and light

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

24: Heavy and light

Shiori answered the phone while trying her best to ignore the noise coming from inside the principal's office. She was quite used to it in the past, but it had not happened for quite a while. It was easier to ignore in the past too because it just signaled there was still spark in a relationship that everyone believed was as close to true love as they would ever see, despite the somewhat strangeness of it. Now, it signaled a possible mending of what seemed like the end of the world.

The noise suggested that Natsuki and Shizuru were not as separated as they had been that morning. It seemed like the school had forever changed when the couple seemed to break up. The principal had suddenly gotten engaged and was supposed to be leaving, which affected the morale of almost everyone at the school, student and staff alike. Ever since they all found out that Natsuki was leaving, it was almost like a constant funeral at the school.

Shiori hoped that all change by the time the two left the office. She was fairly confident that Shizuru-onee-sama was not going to let the principal go now and it seemed like the principal wanted to hold onto Shizuru just as badly now that they were near each other. She then turned her attention to the phone call, looking to do her job.

"Hello, Garderobe, Headmaster Natsuki Kruger's office. Shiori speaking; how may I help you?" the Pearl inquired in her usual professional tone; she learned it from Natsuki surprisingly enough.

"Hello, I'm looking for Natsuki-san," Takeda informed the receptionist.

Shiori frowned as she recognized the voice, but the frown quickly morphed into a smile. She remembered the instructions that the headmaster left her with. She was quite eager to follow the order.

"I'm sorry, but the Headmaster is busy right now. Call back tomorrow," Shiori replied in a nearly chipper tone. The principal told her that she did not want to speak with him and not to put him through if he called.

"Tomorrow?" he echoed in disbelief.

"Yes, sir, tomorrow. Take care."

"Wait a minute—!" Takeda tried to stop what he knew was coming, but he was not quick enough; well, actually, Shiori just did not want to stay on the phone with him anymore. So, she hung up, which he knew was going to happen.

Takeda called back seconds later, only for Shiori to inform him that the headmaster was very busy and he could call back tomorrow. She hung up on him for a second time; they did that dance through four calls. Shiori was almost impressed with his politeness and patience until that fifth call.

"Listen here—!" Takeda's voice was easily a roar and it got him to the same place the previous four calls did, listening to a dial tone. It apparently was not a relaxing hum considering his attitude was just the same when he called back.

Shiori was close to laughing out loud as she hung up on him that fifth time. She was pleased that Natsuki did not wish to speak to him and she hoped that the noise that was still going on in the office meant that Natsuki would soon enough not even be seeing him. By the time the phone rang again, Shiori decided that she was going to have to get rough with him…without getting into too much trouble.

"The Headmaster is currently occupied. Call back tomorrow afternoon," she said in an extra-peppy voice to further annoy the gentleman on the phone.

"I'm her—!" Takeda was going to try to tell her that he was Natsuki's fiancé, but she put the phone down before he got a chance. He quickly called back. "Look, I'm engaged to Natsuki—" Dial tone again.

"This game is fun," Shiori thought with an evil smirk on her face. She wondered how many times he would call back before he realized that he could not win the battle. The answer to that: twelve. He was annoyingly persistent; she might have looked at it a different way if only she did not loathe every fiber of his being for almost coming between Natsuki and Shizuru.

While Takeda had lost his polite tone by the fourth call, Shiori had managed to keep her professional tone through all twelve calls. She could not fight back the monster grin that worked its way onto her face by that twelfth call. He sounded so heated by then that she was certain he was crushing the phone in his hand because the sound of his voice made it seem like he had to be clutching the receiver for dear life. She pictured him being red in the face from the calls, which got a couple of giggles out of her.

Minutes after the well-played game of phone tag, Shiori heard the office door open. It took all of her willpower to keep her eyes focused on her work when that soft click and easy groan of the door sounded through the area. Natsuki and Shizuru walked out of the office with their heads held high with all of the grace and pride that an Otome was supposed to have. Shiori almost could not believe how easily their faces displayed a normalcy that most people probably would not be able to pull off even if nothing had gone on behind closed door.

Now, yes, the two Columns' faces showed dignity and calm, betraying nothing that went on in that room. But, their clothing and hair were traitors to it all. Those were all wrinkled and wild. Shizuru's hair was sticking to her forehead and the side of her face. Natsuki's hair seemed to be in a defiant mood, damning gravity as it went off in several different directions.

Then there was a suspicious looking lace cloth sticking out of the principal's jacket pocket. It appeared to be a lilac color; a shade of Shizuru's beloved color purple. Shiori silently hoped that the item did not belong to Shizuru and if it did, she hoped that the couple did not get caught in a breeze on the way to their quarters or there would be a massive influx of students in the infirmary due to severe blood loss.

"Shiori," Natsuki said suddenly, taking the girl out of her revelry.

"Yes, ma'am?" Shiori replied, looking up at the principal.

"You can go to your dorm. I'm not going to come back and the day's almost over anyway," Natsuki stated, keeping on her "principal" voice.

"Are you sure? What if Miss Maria makes her rounds?" the Pearl asked with a little concern in her voice. If Miss Maria came around, she would be getting in trouble right along with the principal considering the fact that Natsuki was abandoning her duties early.

"I'll take full responsibility. Go back to your dorm and relax. You've earned it," Natsuki answered earnestly.

Shiori nodded, knowing that was the closest that she would ever come to a compliment from the headmaster. She did not mind; it was much more than most of the student body would ever receive. She smiled while packing up her things and watching the couple walk off, holding hands when they were almost out of sight. She almost wanted to squeal in delight from the scene, but she did not want to embarrass herself, knowing the couple would hear her if she did something so unusual.

"My Natsuki is so kind to take responsibility if Shiori gets in trouble for leaving early," Shizuru remarked while lacing her fingers with Natsuki's. The touch seemed to keep the stream of warming, fond feelings coursing through her. She felt like she could only get those nice sensations by being physically connected to her lover right now.

"We've been back together for all of ten minutes and you're already starting to push it," Natsuki teased in return, smirking as she spoke, looking like an inspired imp. She was silently taking in the same warm, fond feeling that Shizuru was getting from their connected hands.

Shizuru smiled. "I only kid because I love my Natsuki so much. To make up for all of my teasing and things, I will make Natsuki's favorite dinner tonight," she promised, lighthearted sparkle in her eyes.

"You'll have to make a lot more than that if you wanna make things up to me," Natsuki stated, smirk in place to put up a front that she was confident that she was going to get away. A little piece of her was scared that Shizuru would deny that and they would have an awkward moment.

"Ara ara, I would do anything for my Natsuki. I hope she has a long list," Shizuru replied quite seriously, locking her fingers a bit tighter around Natsuki's own.

Natsuki smiled, even though she did not have a list. What she wanted from Shizuru actually needed time. She needed to see if Shizuru was going to support her when she truly required it, no matter how awkward or uncomfortable the moment might seem; she thought that moment might be a lot sooner than either of them thought. After all, she still had some business to take care.

Shizuru had every intention of supporting Natsuki when the younger woman needed it. She could not risk losing Natsuki again. It was too frightening, too overwhelming, too agonizing, and way too close to death. Natsuki was her life, so she was going to try her best to make sure that she changed enough not to have such a horrible experience and fright again.

When they got to the apartment, Shizuru went directly to the kitchen to start on making dinner. It took a lot of strength to break apart, but old habit allowed them to do it before they ended up clutching each other like security blankets. Natsuki disappeared into the bedroom, which Shizuru noticed, but she did not think much of. She considered that Natsuki was just going to change her clothes or something. When the raven-haired Otome came back out, she approached Shizuru, still in her same attire, with a pile of clothing in her hands.

"You can change out of your uniform if you want," Natsuki offered in a low tone as Shizuru turned to face her.

"My clothes? You were going to keep some of my clothes?" Shizuru asked, sounding touched rather than teasing as she usually would. Her eyes misted over, giving them a rare shine that outdid the precious gems her eyes were colored after.

Natsuki blushed a bit and looked away, more embarrassed than ashamed. "I…guess," she replied weakly.

Shizuru only smiled; that was sweet that Natsuki kept something of hers. She abandoned her task of cooking for a moment to embrace Natsuki. She held onto the slightly shorter woman tightly, seemingly more than just because she was touched now. She was reminding herself that she was with Natsuki again and that it was not some delightful dream.

Natsuki was not objecting to the embrace, of course. In fact, she was almost getting intoxicated from the feel and scent of her love. She rested her head on Shizuru's shoulder and tried to drink the older woman in with all of her senses. Her brain seemed to get overloaded and she felt a little dizzy for a moment or two.

"I'm glad you did," Shizuru whispered, placing a chaste kiss to the side of Natsuki's head.

"I guess no matter how big an idiot you are, I can't let you go completely," Natsuki remarked in a breath; she actually sounded a little choked up, like she was holding back tears.

"I'm very glad for that. I shall try to be less of an idiot, though," Shizuru vowed in a light, but serious tone.

The couple would have basked in the moment for a while longer, but the phone suddenly started ringing. They pulled away and Natsuki handed Shizuru the clothing. While Shizuru went to change, Natsuki went to answer the damnable phone.

"Hey, Kruger speaking," Natsuki stated into the phone receiver.

"Natsuki!" Takeda's voice rang out into her ear, practically stabbing her in the brain in her opinion. He sounded quite relieved to finally speak to her while she wished that she had just let the phone ring.

"Takeda-san…" Natsuki deadpanned. Her whole expression seemed to fall, as did her shoulders, and she tilted her head to the side as if it was too much work to keep her head up right.

"I've been trying to reach you all day!" he informed her, sounding quite excited and frustrated at the same time.

"I've been very busy. I had a meeting today," she reminded him in a cool tone. She decided that she was not going to let him bring her mood down and she just had to handle him in a somewhat professional manner. Hopefully, he would then go away.

"One meeting made you busy the whole day?" he asked incredulously; she could picture the fact that he was making with that question. His disbelief made her frown. He was also frowning because he could not believe that his soon-to-be-wife had refused to speak with him for the day because of a meeting. She needed to put him first, as he believed he would do with her.

"Look, what do you want?" she countered in a tired tone, patience almost completely zapped thanks to one pig-headed comment. She planned to go see him as soon as she got a spare moment to tell him to his face that she was done with him and she was not going home with him. She would deal with her father when the time came, but she was not going to string Takeda along when she was back with her beloved.

"I need you to come get me from the hospital," he told her. It almost sounded like an order, which could have been because she was already so cross with him.

"From the hospital?" she sighed; what the hell did the idiot do to himself now? She was going to be so happy when she did not have to deal with him anymore, she thought.

"Yes, I injured my ankle worse than before trying to move on it. You did leave me at the room by myself, after all," he replied, almost as if his injury was her fault. He seriously sounded like he was blaming the fact that he injured himself again on her because she was not there. Uh…what the hell, her mind wanted to know; was it evolutionarily possible for a man to be that stupid?

Natsuki sighed, but she supposed that she could go to the hospital and help him out one last time since they were friends once upon a time. She would then be rid of him once and for all. She told him that she would be there soon and hung up on him before he had a chance to say anything else. She then rushed off to go get Shizuru, but she did not have to go far.

"So, who was that on the phone?" Shizuru asked curiously as she stepped out of the bathroom. She was dressed in a manner that probably would have had the whole world doubting their eyes: light grey sweat pants and a matching tank-top that fell just below her belly-button.

"Takeda," Natsuki answered honestly, causing a scowl to mar her lover's beautiful face. "Don't look like that," the raven-haired woman scolded her girlfriend.

Shizuru tried her best to fix her face, but it was much too difficult. "What did he want?" The bitterness in her tone was evident, almost tangible.

"Apparently, he's in the hospital again. I guess he wants me to pick him up and give him a ride home or something. That's what I did the last time the jackass was in the hospital. I figure I'll do that and then talk to him once I get him home," Natsuki informed the older woman.

"Talk to him?" Shizuru echoed in a perplexed tone, scrunching up her face in confusion.

"Well, I do need to let him know that the engagement is off and that I won't be going home with him. I guess he'll have to rework his schedule and everything," Natsuki answered with a shrug, as if she did not care.

"May I come too?" Shizuru requested.

Natsuki smiled and a thought did cross her mind to tease Shizuru a bit, but she just could not do it. It seemed like it would be cruel to tease Shizuru about her jealousy of Takeda. Natsuki could not stand the thought of genuinely upsetting Shizuru, after all, so the teasing never came. Instead, she took Shizuru by the hand and squeezed it gently.

"Of course. I'd like to show you off to the guy anyway," Natsuki remarked, clearly in a good mood.

"I see. I am just arm candy for Natsuki," Shizuru joked, posing for her beloved with a slight pout and finger on her chin while she was at it.

"You're well-paid arm candy if that's the case."

Shizuru giggled a bit, glad to have a playful Natsuki at her side. She decided to go put her uniform back on to accompany Natsuki out. While she was changing, Natsuki stared at the kitchen counter where the beginnings of dinner rested. Her stomach growled, calling out for Shizuru's cooking. She put her hand to her belly.

"When we get back, we can eat," Natsuki promised her stomach. She probably would not have been so hungry for Shizuru's cooking if she had passed the course back when she was a student at Garderobe. Shizuru had passed thanks to some blackmail from her onee-sama, which she tried to use on Natsuki, but it would seem the younger girl just had no talent at all for boiling water. After blowing up the kitchen, it was agreed all around that Natsuki could skip the "homemaking" component of being an Otome. Shizuru, on the other hand, ended up with some rather high marks in that particular course, as the list of things her onee-sama planned to blackmail her grew and grew.

Shizuru quickly returned in her usual dress and the couple left the apartment, hand and hand, just as they had arrived. They walked to the hospital, taking their time and quietly enjoying each other's presence. They sneaked glances at each other every now and then. They both smiled along the way too.

"I'm happy that Natsuki forgives me," Shizuru said out of the blue.

Natsuki laughed a bit. "Didn't really have a choice. You put me through Hell, yeah, but being without you is an even worse Hell. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

"Well, I'm going to try my best not to put you through any type of hell again. My Natsuki deserves paradise," the taller woman commented softly.

They were silent again; the world seemed to be silent for them. They could not make out anything aside for each other. They could only feel the gentle touch as they walked hand in hand. They could only see each other. They could only take in the sweet scent of each other; Shizuru smelling like honey suckle while Natsuki had a subtle berry aroma to her. They were so in-tune with each other that as they listened to each other breathe, their breaths even took on the same rhythm.

It seemed like it took an eternity for them to make it to the hospital, which was still too short for their liking. They would have walked on forever if they could have to just continue experiencing the peace that they had. They found out where Takeda was and went to him at a leisurely pace.

They found Takeda in a hospital bed, looking quite sullen and miserable, with his leg hoisted high. The snow white cast wrapped around his foot was pristine, as Natsuki remembered it being, but there was more to it than before. She did not really wonder why.

"Natsuki," Takeda said brightly when he saw his fiancée enter the room and then he noticed Shizuru. His expression fell immediately while his eyes fell back to his woman; well, the woman that he thought was his.

"What happened to you now?" Natsuki inquired, eyeing his cast before turning her eyes to his face. She appeared slightly annoyed, frowning just a little bit.

Takeda's eyebrows bent inward, near each other as if he did not understand what happened to land him in the hospital. "I thought that I would be able to walk on it a little…" he explained somewhat while nodding toward his injured foot.

"Seems you learned differently," Natsuki remarked under her breath as she stepped closer to the bed, eyes on the cast again. She turned her attention back to him a second later.

"I'm glad you finally came since I'm going to be here for a while," he admitted with a smile.

If that was the case, Natsuki figured that he would not be smiling for long considering she planned to say her peace no matter what. She just wanted to get it out of the way to avoid having to deal with him anymore. Besides, if he was going to be there a while, she was just going to tell him what she had to say right now instead of waiting until he was back at his hotel room.

"I doubt you'll feel that way after I finish talking. I know this might seem harsh to do while you're in a hospital, but it's just for a broken ankle and it's better for me to say this as soon as possible than to string you along. I can't marry you," she stated bluntly and put her hand up as she noticed that he was about to speak. Her hand gesture halted him, as it was designed to do. She continued on, "I can't even be with you in any way. It was cool when we were friends and everything, but a real relationship between us isn't even possible. I could never love you. There's only room in my heart for one person."

Before he could ask who, Shizuru stepped over. Natsuki wasted no time taking her girlfriend's hand and interlaced their fingers. She held their hands up for Takeda to get a good, long look.

For his part, Takeda appeared to be utterly perplexed. What was Natsuki trying to say? That she was in love with her best friend? That she was somehow romantically involved with Shizuru?

"But…she's a girl," Takeda commented, saying the first words that come to mind. It was impossible for two girls to love each other, he thought.

"She's not just any girl. She's my girl. Takeda, I've been in a relationship with Shizuru for almost as long as I've been in Windbloom. I'm in love her and she's in love with me. If I ever get married, it will be to her," Natsuki stated plainly, earning a slight blush from Shizuru, who also had to look away for a moment.

"But…she's a girl…" Takeda repeated, confusion squinting his eyes and wrinkling his forehead. He seemed to be looking at the floor, searching it for answers to questions he could not think to ask, but his eyes were not seeing anything at all. He just could not comprehend what he was hearing on any level.

Natsuki expected his reaction. From their end of the planet, homosexual couples were a taboo subject. Most people liked to pretend that homosexuals did not exist, which was why it was going to make for a very tricky story to tell her father…if Takeda did not take care of that for her anyway. After all, she knew that he was not going to be in best of moods when she walked out with Shizuru and he had already established some sort of relationship with her father.

"This is where we're going to have to part ways, Takeda. I can only be with Shizuru. I can only love Shizuru. I'm sorry that I put you through this and that I made you believe that we could have more, but there's really nothing for us," Natsuki informed him.

"You're leaving me while I'm in the hospital for another woman?" Takeda inquired, a growl coming through, which let them know that he was not taking things well, not that they expected him to. His brain was able to compute that his dear Natsuki was leaving him and it had something to do with the venomous bitch at her side, which was enough to enrage him.

"Would you rather I pretend that I'm going to keep seeing you, even though I'm not planning to go home and I'm not going to marry you? This is the way things are," Natsuki replied with a slight shrug. She dared to speak in a nonchalant tone, trying to put him at ease with a calm voice.

"What do you mean this is the way things are? You mean to tell me that just out of the blue you're in love with this woman?" he huffed while violently motioning to Shizuru. The term "woman" was hissed from his throat as he really wanted to call her a demented harpy or a vicious demon, poisoning his beloved's mind.

"It wasn't out of the blue. I told you, I've been in a relationship with her for almost as long as I've been in Windbloom. You happened to show up while we were going through a rough time. I mistakenly thought that we were over when I started going out with you. I don't know what else to tell you," Natsuki admitted, sounding just as professional as one would expect her to sound if she was in a diplomatic meeting.

"You can't just come here and call off our engagement because you think you're in love with a woman!" Takeda argued vehemently, punching the mattress underneath him with some power.

"I just did," Natsuki remarked. "You're not listening to me. I don't think I'm in love with Shizuru. I know because I've been with her for so long. I love her in a way that would be impossible for me to describe. She's the only one for me. You have to deal with that," she stated.

'This is impossible! Two women can't be in a relationship together!" he barked. "It's unnatural!"

Natsuki frowned because of his attitude, even though she expected. It might have helped that she was already fed up with him; she had definitely had it up to the top of her head with him. She did something that was rather vicious to him, leaning on his injured foot before starting to talk again. She glared at him, challenging his manhood to cry out for her to get off of him.

"I love this woman and I won't let you insult that relationship just because you're a fucking crybaby," Natsuki stated with grit while Shizuru just smiled behind her.

For Shizuru, watching Natsuki stand up for them and defend their relationship was beautiful, even if she was causing Takeda so much pain. Seeing the fire in Natsuki's eyes and the flame in her voice, let Shizuru know just how much she was cared for. So, she continued to stand back as Natsuki leaned on his injury until a tear escaped his eye from the agony.

Natsuki stepped away from the bed while Takeda bit his lip from the pain. A couple more tears trailed down his cheeks while Natsuki went back to her love. Shizuru wrapped a possessive arm around the younger woman. Shizuru smirked wickedly at the bedridden fellow as she caressed Natsuki's hip. The room was silent for a few seconds before Takeda felt like he had the perfect thing to say to both of them to bring them back down from their strange high and wipe that smug look from Shizuru's demonic face.

"Your father would never accept this," Takeda pointed out, thinking that he had her with that logic. The couple did not even blink at that line.

"That'll be his problem then. I'm not worried about my father. I don't listen to him much anyway, so sure he's going to be very angry when he finds out about the engagement being off and when he finds out that I'm in love with a woman, but I'll deal with him, just like I always do when I do something he doesn't like. This is where we're going to have to part ways, Takeda-san. Please, don't contact me ever again," Natsuki said and she bowed politely to him before turning to leave.

"Natsuki, wait!" Takeda called, but Natsuki did not stop. Speaking with him now would not do her any good, so she did not bother with it. She left hand-in-hand with Shizuru and they walked by to their home.

Tears fell from Takeda's eyes for the second time. His beautiful Natsuki had walked out on him, claiming to love a woman, a devil-woman worst of all. His heavy heart shattered in his chest a million times over. It just could not be true, he tried to convince himself.

"It's impossible. She couldn't have really left me for a woman. Maybe she just has wedding jitters and came up with this insane way of backing out," he considered. He would not have the chance to find out while he was stuck in the hospital, though.

--

"So, what is going to happen to you once your father finds out about us?" Shizuru inquired as she and love strolled back home. Thanks to stories from Natsuki, she knew how Saxas viewed homosexuality and she sort of knew how Natsuki's father was, but she could not imagine his reaction to Natsuki being a homosexual.

"Hell if I know. I mean, I've done a lot of crazy things, but this one is going to shot to the top of the list really fast," Natsuki replied. "He might actually disown me," she admitted with a shrug as if it was no big deal. She really had no clue how her parents would react to finding out that she was in a same-sex relationship because it was not something that was dealt with in her home country.

Shizuru went rigid for a moment. "Would he?" she asked in a shaky voice. Was she going to cost her precious one her whole family?

"Maybe. I dunno. He's not going to take this lightly and my mother won't either. She'll probably take it worse, which is going to get to him and make him take it worse. That's how it typically works anyway," Natsuki somewhat explained.

"What do you mean that's how it typically works?" Shizuru asked, her forehead creased as her eyebrows curled up. She recalled that Natsuki never really talked much about her mother in all the time that they had known each other. Every now and then, she would mention the woman in passing, but generally, Natsuki's mother never came up in a conversation when talking about her family.

"Well, I'm not too sure, but I think a lot of the time, my father just gets confused about me and my mother doesn't help matters. I mean, before me, my father just had to deal with sons. He never really knew what to do with me, but then when my brothers got hold of me, he started thinking that maybe he could just treat me like another son. But, my mother sort of cut that loose when she started trying to make me into a lady. For my brothers, they don't listen anyway, so they continued to treat me like they always did. My father would get scolded by my mother if he treated me like a son, though. So, after a while, he never really knew what to do with me and reacts really weirdly to pretty much everything I do," Natsuki explained as best she could.

Shizuru nodded. "What about your brothers?"

Natsuki laughed. "Considering the fact that they all but chanted 'one of us' when I was born, I think they won't be quite so shocked when they meet you." She was pretty sure her brothers thought of her so much as one of the guys that would probably be more surprised if she did marry Takeda than if they met Shizuru.

"Have you told them about us?" Shizuru asked in a suspicious and equally curious tone.

"Not in so many words, no, but I'm sure they've figured it out by now. I talk about you a lot with them. Most of them are pretty smart and the ones that are as slow as I am get ideas beat into their heads by the smart ones," the principal remarked with a fond smile.

"Is that why Natsuki's head is so thick? Her brothers used to hit her in the head a lot?" Shizuru asked with a smile of her own.

"Yeah," Natsuki agreed with a goofy grin.

Shizuru sighed while changing up the way that they were walking. She wrapped her arms around Natsuki's arm, resting her head against Natsuki's shoulder. Natsuki looked down at Shizuru and noticed her expression. Instead of the content look that typically washed over her face when they were so close, Shizuru looked as if she was in deep thought. Natsuki knew why.

"Don't worry about it, Shizuru. I'm sure my parents will adjust. It's not something to be upset over," Natsuki lied, looking to comfort her girlfriend.

"I don't want to cost you your family, Natsuki," Shizuru whispered, her hold tightening on her lover.

Natsuki smiled. "You won't, idiot. They'll be upset…or confused…or both, but they'll get over it." Or so she hoped anyway. She was not too sure how her parents would react to her relationship with Shizuru. It was very possible that she would be disowned, but she would worry about that when the time came. Right now, she was just happy that her life was back in order for a rare moment. That was good enough for her.

--

Epilogue coming up.


	25. Epilogue: Reconstruction

I don't own these characters. Sunrise does.

Epilogue: Reconstruction

Natsuki was taken from her sleep by the sound of the phone ringing. The noise sent a jolt to her brain, but she did not wake up with a shock. She frowned, reluctant to give up such a wonderful sleep, but she knew that she had to. She groaned a bit in protest, the sound getting somewhat lost in her pillow as she buried her head in the soft headrest, but that did not stop the phone from ringing. She suspected that she was going to have to answer it.

She opened one eye to check the clock before grabbing the offending object. Red numbers flashed glaringly in the dark, informing her that it was three in the morning. She knew that meant the phone was for her, so she answered it quickly to not disturb Shizuru's sleep, which seemed to be quite delightful if the huge grin on her face meant anything.

"Kruger," Natsuki spoke into the phone receiver in a scratchy, groggy tone while rubbing her eye with her free hand.

"Natsuki!" her father's voice boomed through the phone.

Oh, goodie, she was going to get scolded at three in the morning, she thought sarcastically. Whoever said having relatives that lived around the world was not fun? If someone said it, that person was spot on as far as Natsuki was concerned.

"Hi, papa," Natsuki replied with pretend cheer. She had worked herself into a habit with her parents where she liked to act like she was proud or happy about completely inappropriate things, just to annoy them.

She did glance down to make sure that her father's yelling had not woken Shizuru up. The older woman still seemed to be peacefully sleeping, even still smiling. Shizuru looked quite comfortable, resting against her beloved chest, her head resting on Natsuki's breast. Natsuki had an arm wrapped around Shizuru and gently caressed Shizuru's back for a moment to make sure that she continued sleeping while Natsuki's father continued on hollering; hard to believe he was a refined, dignified king.

"What's this about you canceling your engagement with Takeda because you're in love with someone else?!" her father roared like an outraged lion. She could picture the man scowling, looking so much like her when she did that same that it upset her just to think about it.

"That's pretty much the story," she replied while noting that he said "someone else."

She had no doubt that Takeda called her father to tell him what happened, how she broke their engagement while he was still in the hospital, and made sure to include that she was in love with a woman. She did not see why Takeda would not tell her parents that she was in a relationship with a woman since it was something that could help him in the long run, having her parents trying to force her to leave Shizuru. Her father was probably not able to come to terms with her being with a woman just yet and could only ignore it while reprimanding her about breaking her engagement.

"You can't just go break an engagement that I approved of! This isn't how things work!" her father hollered. She was willing to bet that he was getting red in the face and some stares if anyone was around.

No, Natsuki was well aware that was not how things worked. As the daughter, she was expected to do everything her parents wanted of her, especially her father; that was the tradition in their home land. But, she was not one for tradition thanks to her brothers, which she supposed they would be quite proud of.

"Well, you can still say I'm engaged to him if it makes you feel any better, but I won't come home and I won't marry him, ever, no matter what you do. Now, papa, it's three in the morning here, so I'd like to go back to sleep now," Natsuki said and she hung up on him before he could object. She then yanked the wire out of the phone; if there was an emergency, she would be contacted through her GEM.

"Is everything all right, Natsuki?" Shizuru inquired, drawing attention to herself. She let loose a small yawn. Her eyes fluttered open halfway; it was about as far as they were willing to open at such an ungodly hour.

Natsuki looked down at her girlfriend, who was pressed against the principal and she was cuddling the raven-haired woman as if she was a giant plush toy. Shizuru had a worried expression in her crimson eyes, letting Natsuki know that she more than likely heard the conversation. Natsuki threw on a tender smile and rubbed the small of Shizuru's back before answering to ease her lover's concern.

"Everything's fine. Go back to sleep," the younger woman replied, sounding almost sincere about that. Almost was almost enough because it took her beloved a moment to form a question.

"Are you sure?" Shizuru asked to be sure. From the volume of the yelling on the other end, she was not very inclined to believe that everything was as fine as Natsuki said. But, Natsuki did sound so very certain of things.

Natsuki's eyes answered the question, but she backed up the look too. "I'm positive. Go back to sleep," she answered in a firm, but affectionate tone.

Shizuru grumbled something with snuggling her face closer into Natsuki's cleavage. Natsuki took that as a sign of her girlfriend being satisfied with her words, which actually helped put her at ease too. She knew how insightful and how well Shizuru read people, so if she could satisfy Shizuru's curiosity, then it meant that she was speaking in a believable way. It made Natsuki feel like she believed in herself, like she knew that she was speaking the truth and everything was fine.

Natsuki suddenly felt confidence swell in her chest. She was going to stay with Shizuru. There was nothing that her parents could do to change that. She would spend the rest of her life with the woman in her arms.

"Natsuki, can we go out tomorrow?" Shizuru requested in a whisper, indicting that she was falling back to sleep. A small yawn that escaped her lips backed up the theory that she was drifting.

"We can," Natsuki answered, rubbing her love's shoulder.

Shizuru made a pleased sound as her eyes shut. Natsuki went back to sleep also; she would worry about her parents when necessary and she did not think that there was cause to worry right now. After all, her parents were thousands of miles away, so they could not really do anything to do to her. They could not force her to get married and if her father's words were any indication of things, they could not even accept that she was with a woman, if they knew anyway. Still, she was not going to let that bother her.

--

Natsuki yawned and stretched in her seat; she was sitting in her office and doing a little paperwork, as usual. She began straightening out her desk, noting that it was lunchtime. She was able to put everything away by the time Shizuru arrived with a bag in hand. Shizuru went to put the bag down on the desk, but Natsuki stopped her.

"Nah-uh. Don't do that," Natsuki said as she wiggled her index finger at her love, as if she was scolding her slightly. She got out of her chair and walked around the desk while the fair-haired Otome's face scrunched up into a slightly confused expression.

"What? Then where will we eat?" Shizuru asked curiously, eyes following Natsuki with that predatory gaze that seemed to never leave her.

"Come on," Natsuki replied while taking Shizuru by the arm. She wasted no time pulling Shizuru out of the office.

Shiori made an "eep" noise as she saw the principal and Third Column leaving the area. "Headmaster, what am I supposed to tell Miss Maria?!" the Pearl called down to the fleeing couple. She looked ready to burst into tears while watching the pair leave.

"Just lie!" Natsuki answered as if things were that easy. Poor Shiori whimpered and dropped her head; the principal was going to get her killed sooner or later, she thought.

"Bad Natsuki, telling that good student to lie to a teacher," Shizuru pretended to scold her lover, going so far as "hit" the principal. She gave Natsuki the equivalent of a loving pat on the shoulder as a reprimand.

"So? We both lie to Miss Maria all the time. Shiori needs to learn how to do it too. I've had her practicing on you anyway," Natsuki joked, smirking like a smartass.

"You've had Shiori-chan lie to me?" Shizuru inquired incredulously. She did not think that it was possible to lie to her, not with her careful and keen eye.

"I've tried. She's about as good at it as I am," Natsuki admitted with a sheepish laugh, scratching her cheek for a moment.

"You're a horrible principal, Natsuki. Encouraging such bad behavior in the student body," the older woman remarked in her usual teasing tone. There was a light smile on her face that belied her words.

Natsuki grinned proudly. "I'm trying to make a school full of me," she quipped.

"That is a promising thought." A thoughtful look washed over Shizuru's face. _A school full of my Natsuki? Yum!_

Natsuki laughed. "You're the last person to tell me about encouraging bad behavior. At least I'm honest about mine. If I went and told Miss Maria half the stuff you did as a student, she's wash my mouth out with bleach for defaming your good name," she pointed out with a chuckle.

Shizuru giggled a bit herself; she could not deny that. Natsuki had always been upfront about her rebellious nature; Shizuru was never like that. She had always put on a show for people, letting them see only the "perfect" side of her. She had learned to hide even more from her onee-sama Ahn, but she doubted that Natsuki cared about that since she was generally open with Natsuki, even before they were in a relationship. See, being honest and open with Natsuki to a degree earned her that lovely blush or those wonderful overreactions that entertained her so much.

"Natsuki, where are we going?" Shizuru asked, disliking being kept in the dark. She was horrible with surprises and often just bugged Natsuki until she got on the younger woman's nerves enough for Natsuki to cave and tell.

"It's a surprise. Just come on," Natsuki replied, tugging her girlfriend even more to get her to walk faster.

Shizuru had to break into a jog to keep up with Natsuki. She wondered what the younger woman had planned for her to be in such a rush. Her heart started racing, considering that Natsuki had actually planned something romantic for them to do. If that was the case, she might have to start being more of a pest to get Natsuki to tell her before she died of anticipation.

They went by students, who stared with hearts in their eyes as the couple walked by. They did wonder why the principal was pulling Shizuru as she was, but they knew it was not something bad because of the smile on Shizuru's face. Natsuki looked quite determined, so the students also assumed that the principal had something romantic planned, which started quick rumors.

The couple did not even think that they would be the talk of the week as they went through the halls. Natsuki would quell the rumors as best she could when it finally did reach her, but for now, only her love mattered. Shizuru would never confirm or deny the rumors when she heard them, as that was her way; always the mystery.

Shizuru could guess what was happening as they finally made it to garage. They went right to Natsuki's motorcycle; a dark blue machine that always brought a smile to its master's face. Natsuki wasted no time mounting the bike and waited for Shizuru to get on behind her. The crimson-eyed Otome stared as if she did not know what was going on, eyes squinting and eyebrows curled up.

"Shizuru, are you going to get on anytime soon?" Natsuki asked, seriously confused on why her girlfriend was just standing there like a loon.

"You're going to skip work to take me on a bike ride?" Shizuru inquired in almost disbelief.

"Duh! You said you wanted to go and we haven't been riding in a long time. There's some place I wanna show you anyway. I saw it on my last ride out and I think you'll like it," Natsuki replied, a soft smile conquering her face and softening her eyes.

Shizuru nodded and hurried on the bike, as if she was frightened that Natsuki might change her mind or leave without her. She hooked her arms around her lover's waist while making sure to keep a good grip on their lunch. Natsuki started the bike once she was certain that Shizuru was all right, which was indicated from Shizuru snuggling into Natsuki's shoulder blade. They were off without helmets, having never gotten into the habit of wearing them.

They both smiled to themselves as they rode at top speed, as that seemed to be the only way that Natsuki could drive her bike. Natsuki was smiling because of the warm presence curled safely against her back, sending a fuzzy feeling through her spine and traveling through the rest of her body. Shizuru was smiling because of the warm body that she was cuddled into and the secure feeling that Natsuki brought her.

It was during the ride that Shizuru realized that Natsuki should never be the only one to miss the bike. The motorcycle brought her closer to her dearest Natsuki, not just physically, but emotionally. This was Natsuki's way of sharing her world, her true self with Shizuru. This was Natsuki's deep trust in her. It was a gift, a blessing; something that Shizuru cherished and she knew that Natsuki was the same, which was very true.

The ride was long, but neither of the women minded; it was hard for them to mind an excuse to stay pressed together as they were. They remained as they were as Natsuki took them down a winding road, hitting curves at a high speed without a care in the world. Far in the past, Shizuru probably would have trembled against Natsuki, maybe even scream as she hit those curves, but not now. Now, she was very aware that she was perfectly safe with Natsuki.

Natsuki, for her part, never thought about how she hit the curves anymore. Of course, when they used to scare Shizuru, she let them enter her mind, but not enough for her to really adjust the habit. She tried to change when she remembered to, but most of the time that she rode instinct was more in control than anything else. She was cautious enough to avoid taking any unnecessary risks when Shizuru was with her, though; even now, she made sure to avoid getting too fancy because she did not want her cockiness to get her lover injured.

Shizuru looked up when she felt the bike slowing down. She could see that they were out of the city, in the endless desert that surrounded Windbloom. The tan sand ocean seemed to go on forever as she glanced to the sides, seeing only sand and rocks. She wondered what Natsuki would want her to see out there, but then she looked ahead of them.

The Third Column's mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide with disbelief. Ahead of them was an oasis. There were a few trees and grass from what she could see. She could only wonder how it would look up close.

"Natsuki," Shizuru whispered in awe.

Natsuki did not respond. She had to stop the bike before they got to the oasis because there was no road or even rock for the wheels to grip. She moved to get off of the bike, which was a signal for Shizuru to let go, which the older female did without a word. Natsuki then helped Shizuru off of the bike; typically, Shizuru would have made a crack about Natsuki being such a gentleman, but words were lost on her right now. They quietly walked over to the lush green space surrounded by all of the dry light ochre sand.

"This is beautiful, Natsuki," Shizuru commented in a breath while getting a good look around. The grass was so vibrant, reminding her of her dearest one's eyes. The trees seemed to stretch to the sun and reach out, as if trying to embrace the star with beautiful, long leaves. There was a small pond that had water that appeared to be liquid sapphire and it cooled the area with its precious breath of life.

"I didn't think it would be quite this nice up close. I only saw it from a distance when I was riding before," Natsuki admitted, looking around herself. She stepped away for a moment as more than the green of the place caught her eye.

Shizuru felt Natsuki's presence leave her side. She turned to see what her love was doing, but did not see her. She glanced around, wondering how Natsuki managed to get away from her so easily. As she was about to turn in a full circle, Natsuki was back by her side with a lovely red flower in hand. The plant was dominated by crimson, but there was a swirl of yellow working through the petals, giving it an enchanting look that called to Natsuki and begged her to present such an exotic sight to Shizuru.

"For you, my dear," Natsuki remarked with a cheeky grin as she presented the flower to her beloved. She felt so corny doing this, but she knew that it would tickle Shizuru and she just had to do it. Besides, she knew that all of the romantic things that Shizuru loved were cheesy and corny and sometimes she just needed to bite the bullet. It was fine when no one was around anyway.

Shizuru could not help giggling. "Such a gentleman. I'll be sure to tell your brothers how well they raised you," she quipped while plucking the gift from her love's hand.

Natsuki only smiled. She was rewarded with a short, but loving kiss on the mouth. Yes, doing those cheesy, corny romantic things certainly paid off, she thought to herself. Shizuru giggled a bit again when she saw the contented look on Natsuki's face.

They sat down beside a shady tree closest to the water, resting their backs against the slim trunk of the plant. They silently ate the lunch that Shizuru had packed in the bag and somehow ended up in a position where Natsuki had her head in Shizuru's lap. Shizuru was busying herself by running her fingers calmly through Natsuki's long, silky hair.

"Natsuki, I've been thinking," Shizuru said in a low voice, as if she did not want to disturb the serenity that embraced them with warm, comfortable arms.

"Yes?" Natsuki replied while trying to hold back a yawn. The gentle caressing of Shizuru's hand through her hair was very close to sending her off to dreamland. She doubted that she would last much longer if things persisted.

"Maybe it's time we told your family outright," Shizuru commented, maintaining a low and calm voice. She hoped that this did not upset her lover and end their wonderful day together.

"Tell them about us?" Natsuki inquired to be sure that was what her lover meant. She would then have to check to make sure that Shizuru was serious, although no matter what, she was ready to laugh the idea off.

"Yes, about us. It's been such a long time. We've already told my family, after all," Shizuru pointed out.

"Yeah, well, your family isn't as crazy as mine. Besides, your parents know damn well what happens at Garderobe between students and other Otome," the younger woman countered.

"My mother does tell a good story, doesn't she?" Shizuru remarked with an amused half-smile on her face.

"Some things I never needed to know about Miss Maria. I prefer to just think of her as the stern woman that scolds the hell out of me rather than someone who actually has relationships like a normal person," Natsuki said with a shudder. "I mean, it's almost like admitting that Miss Maria is human when we all know she's really a mutant alien from another planet sent to torment girls and women alike."

Shizuru had to laugh because she knew that Natsuki was just a little serious in that theory. "Well, I'm sure my mother was just teasing with most of those things. She thinks you're cute when you panic, after all."

"I'd say 'like mother, like daughter' if I didn't know you're just a female clone of your father."

The tan-haired Otome smiled, thinking that Natsuki spoke the truth. "I do have his tastes in women," she said.

Natsuki stuck her tongue out at Shizuru, which earned a laugh. She never thought much about her and her father's tastes until Natsuki met her parents. Nastuki's looks were similar to her mother's, but they also acted quite the same in many aspects, surprisingly enough sharing similar hobbies and having similar speech patterns when they were not expected to be formal. Because of those similarities, Natsuki got along quite well with Shizuru's family. Shizuru could only wonder if she would get along well with Natsuki's family.

"Back to the matter at hand, my precious Natsuki. We should tell your parents. It's not good to deceive them," Shizuru commented. Not to mention, it would save them both the pain that would come if Natsuki's parents tried to force another engagement on her.

"You're telling me it's not good to deceive someone?" Natsuki asked incredulously with an amused grin. _The world must be coming to an end!_

"I know. To think, I have morals," Shizuru remarked with a smirk.

Natsuki laughed a bit and brought her hand up to caress Shizuru's face. Scarlet eyes closed for a moment, taking in the feel of Natsuki's tender touch. Shizuru took Natsuki's hand with both of her own to keep Natsuki's hand in place as she opened her eyes, which looked softer than down pillows at the moment. The principal of Garderobe smile because of the expression that Shizuru was wearing.

"I think you might be right. Not just because I know you don't want to wake up one morning to find out I'm engaged again, which I don't want to do either, but I want you to know I'm not ashamed of you in anyway and I trust you enough for you to meet my crazy family. You've shared your family with me, I can share mine with you. Just remember, you asked for it," Natsuki remarked.

Shizuru chuckled a bit. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Now, with that out the way, how about we just sit here and enjoy the quiet for a little while?" the younger woman requested with a small sigh.

Shizuru nodded; it did sound like a fine idea. She was glad to know that she would get to meet Natsuki's family sometime soon for all of the reasons that Natsuki listed. Her heart fluttered knowing that Natsuki still had such deep trust in her, especially enough trust to allow her to meet her family.

Natsuki knew that she made the right decision. She was glad that Shizuru brought it up too because for her, it showed that Shizuru was very serious about their relationship, ready to brave her insane parents to be with her. Well, she would worry about that bridge when they crossed it. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the moment. Shizuru agreed with that.

Shizuru's fingers went back to caressing Natsuki's head. Natsuki closed her eyes to relax. After a few seconds, Shizuru leaned down to plant a chaste kiss to Natsuki's lips, which Natsuki returned. They connected through that kiss, feeling and tasting each other's souls. They were together, they were one, and they never going to lose that.

--

The end.

Thanks for the warm reception of my first major ShizNat story. Thanks to everyone that read and everyone that reviewed. Special thanks to my beta reader, Ken-zero. And once again, a huge thanks to Laura25 for helping me plan this out to make a coherent story. With luck, we'll be back with a sequel sometime soon. Until then, I'm putting my straitjacket back on and returning to my dark little cell.


End file.
